New Romantics
by Rubyleaf
Summary: An unexpected love confession kickstarts a series of events that leads Mahiru and Kuro to pretend to be a couple. Meanwhile, Tetsu and Misono are in denial about their feelings, and Lily seems to have way too much fun with all the drama.
1. The Road to Trouble

"Mahiru... there's something weird in your locker."

The boy looked at the black cat sitting on his shoulder. "Weird?" he asked. "What are you talking abou- oh."

Kuro was right. There certainly was something that Mahiru didn't remember placing in his locker - namely, a small, light pink envelope.

"What's that?" he wondered. "I'm sure this wasn't here the last time I looked."

"It's obviously a love letter." Kuro's voice sounded slightly amused.

Mahiru felt his face heating up. "Like hell it is!" he protested. "When will you finally stop teasing me about stuff like that? What are you, five?"

Kuro decided to ignore the last question. "Why don't you just open and read it?"

That made sense. Carefully, Mahiru picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a letter, written in a small, distinctly feminine handwriting. The paper was the same color as the envelope.

 _Dear Shirota-kun,_ it read. _If it's not too much trouble, please meet me on the roof after school today. I have something important to tell you._

Mahiru just stared at the paper for a few seconds. Simple as they were, the words didn't make sense to him. For some reason or other, he found himself freaking out a little. Maybe that was a normal reaction? He had never received a letter like that before, after all.

"Pink paper? Girly handwriting? Asking you to meet her on the roof? This happens in every shoujo manga in the world," Kuro said. "That's obviously a love letter."

Mahiru sighed. "You're probably right."

"So? Are you going to meet her?"

"...Shut up."

* * *

Mahiru chose to meet her. It just wasn't like him to reject someone like that, even though he dreaded the meeting. Part of him was just wondering how to reject the girl without hurting her feelings, but the other part was suspicious of the letter. Knowing his luck, it was just as possible that he'd find yet another vampire on the roof.

His suspicions disappeared as soon as he reached the place and saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away. "Suzuhara!" he blurted out, both surprised and relieved.

His classmate blushed. "Shirota-kun," she stammered. "S-so you read my letter..."

"Um... yeah."

There was an awkward silence. Suzuhara suddenly seemed very interested in the tips of her shoes, and Mahiru wondered if he should speak up, but he couldn't really think of anything.

After a long moment that felt like forever, he cleared his throat. "So, uh... you said that you had something... to tell me?"

Suzuhara blushed an even brighter red. "Yeah, actually... Shirota-kun, I... you know, I've always looked up to you. You're always so honest and practical... When you like something, you compliment it... and when you don't like something, you don't beat around the bush... and you're so great at sports... and back when I suddenly collapsed, you helped me. I thought that was really cool! But now I'm talking too much, right? So... Shirota-kun... What I'd like to tell you is..." She took a deep breath. "Shirota-kun, I like you! Please go out with me!"

"See? Told ya so," Kuro mumbled close to Mahiru's ear. The boy glared at him before turning back to Suzuhara.

This was bad. Really bad.

He had taken forever to think of the right words for this scenario. Words that wouldn't hurt Suzuhara. Words that rejected her as gently as possible. He thought he had finally found the perfect ones. But now that the whole situation was real, the entire script seemed to have vanished from his head. His mind was completely blank.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I can't."

Mahiru took one look at Suzuhara's face and knew then and there that he had made a mistake. Her eyes widened. Her lips trembled. She looked like she was about to cry.

"I can't go out with someone whose feelings I don't return," he said softly, trying not to panic. "That just seems unfair to me, you know?"

Aside from the tiny fact that he really didn't want to drag anyone into his chaotic, vampire-filled life, of course. Especially not this girl. She had almost been killed before, thank you very much.

Suzuhara, however, didn't feel like giving up. "Can't you at least try?" she pleaded. "I could be your girlfriend for a week, and even if you still don't return my feelings afterwards, I think I could at least get over you... How does that sound?"

"Like a shoujo manga," Kuro remarked quietly.

Mahiru was really starting to panic. He needed to come up with a good excuse now. Telling her the real reason why he didn't want to date her was obviously not an option.

So he just blurted out the first reason that came to mind. "I'd like to do that, but... sorry, I'm taken already."

"Oh."

"Really?" Kuro asked quietly. Mahiru ignored him.

"So... I'm sorry, but I can't cheat on my significant other, you know."

Suzuhara still didn't look entirely convinced. Did the girl have an amazing intuition, or was it just the power of desperation? Mahiru wasn't so sure anymore.

"I understand," she admitted. "But... could I meet your lover sometime? Then I could move on, you know... if it's not too much trouble?"

Not good.

What was Mahiru supposed to do? Coming up with another excuse would just make him sound even more suspicious. Rejecting her? Telling her the truth? _Definitely_ not an option. The only thing that was left was...

"Okay," he said. "I'll tell you when and where."

This was trouble.

* * *

"So?" Kuro asked Mahiru. "What're you gonna do about the whole "introducing her to your lover" thing?"

"I'll have to ask someone to pretend to be my date for the day," Mahiru said matter-of-factly.

"But you don't have any female friends you could ask."

Mahiru looked at the vampire for a very long time. Inside his head, a plan started to form.


	2. Welcome to the Roller-Coaster

"No."

"Kuro-"

"No way."

"Please!" Mahiru begged. "I really don't know who else to ask, and I'm desperate!"

The vampire yawned. "Not my problem."

"Come on! You'd have to come with me anyway, so why not?"

Kuro continued playing his video game without looking up. "Because," he said through a mouthful of potato chips, "it sounds troublesome."

"That's not an excuse!" Mahiru rapidly felt his annoyance level rising. "When will you finally stop being so _freaking lazy?_ "

"When will _you_ stop getting in trouble?" Kuro retorted.

"Hey, it's not like I could help it!" Mahiru huffed. "What should I have told her? The truth? 'Oh, by the way, I can't go out with you because I'm caught up in a war of shapeshifting vampire weirdos and their wacky underlings!' No sane person would believe that!"

Kuro still didn't look up. "You might just wait until she forgets about the whole thing," he said. "But I guess _you_ wouldn't do that."

Mahiru's eyes lit up with hope. "Does that mean you'll help me?"

"...I think you're misunderstanding something here."

"Geez, Kuro!" Mahiru shouted in frustration. "For a moment there, you actually got my hopes up!"

The vampire shrugged, but at least he didn't protest anymore. No answer at all was still way better than an excuse or a no. Mahiru decided to try again, one last time.

"Come on, Kuro. It's just for a couple hours, I'll get you whatever you want as a thank-you, and then we'll never talk about that day again. Okay?"

Kuro didn't say anything. He thought about it for what seemed like an eternity. The seconds ticked away. Mahiru held his breath, eagerly awaiting his answer. The room was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop. The only noise was the clear, rhythmic ticking of the clock.

"...Okay."

"Really? Thanks so much, Kuro!" Mahiru laughed with relief. The clear sound of his laughter filled the room with life. His brown eyes caught the last rays of the sun, glistening and shining with joy and turning into little sunsets of their own. "So," he said, "what should I get you for helping me?"

 _That smile of yours,_ was the first thing that came to Kuro's mind. _The one you showed me just now, I want to see it again._

Wait. What on earth was he thinking?

"No need to thank me," he said instead. "I'm only helping you 'cause you wouldn't have stopped bugging me if I'd said no. But if you insist, I want chips, ice cream, those ramen noodles you always call too expensive, a new pillow..."

"Hey, don't press your luck!"

* * *

Mahiru was a nervous wreck. This whole fake date hadn't even started and he was already about to panic. What had he been thinking? There was so much that could go wrong.

Especially with companions like these.

"By the way, Shirota..." Misono asked. "Why do _we_ have to be here?"

Lily chuckled. "Why, Misono, doesn't this sound fun? Besides, supporting your friends is a must. You said so yourself..."

" _Shut up,_ Lily!"

"Mahiru, are you okay?" Tetsu seemed to be the only one to notice the boy's state. "You look kinda pale..."

"Huh? N-no, I'm fine," Mahiru lied. If he told the others that he wasn't, he knew exactly what would happen. Total chaos would break out, because well-meaning as these idiots were, they just couldn't to anything without creating a mess. Which probably wouldn't calm him down whatsoever.

"Okay then," Tetsu said, suddenly completely convinced. "If you say so, I guess it must be true."

"You're just accepting that? Sendagaya, you idiot!" Misono scolded him. "What if he just said that so we don't worry? Don't just believe everything people tell you! Shirota, if you need anything, just tell us."

"Yeah, okay... thanks."

Originally, Mahiru had let his friends in on his plan so they could keep things from getting awkward with Suzuhara, but he really doubted his decision right now. They had all met up at their favorite karaoke parlor and were currently waiting for Mahiru's classmate to arrive. They probably looked like they'd walked out of a joke: a fairly normal high school student, a blue-haired guy with eyebags, a high school boy who looked fourteen, a middle schooler who looked eighteen and carried a huge coffin around, a tall young man whose shirt was half unbuttoned, and a five-year-old kid with a huge top hat and a stereotypical vampire costume. Mahiru could see people staring.

Thank goodness they didn't have to stand there for long. Soon Mahiru could hear the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, and moments later a breathless Suzuhara ran up to him. "Good evening, Shirota-kun," she panted. "Did I keep you waiting?"

Mahiru tried not to think about the mess he was probably about to get into. His once brilliant-sounding plan seemed stupid to him now. What had he been thinking? This would be awkward at best. At worst, it could turn into Mahiru's biggest embarrassment ever.

No time to think about that now. There was no turning back. All he could do was carry out his plan and hope it worked.

"Hi, Suzuhara-san!" he greeted his classmate. "It's fine, you didn't keep us waiting. We only just arrived here ourselves." He pointed to the others. "These guys are my friends. I brought them along so you won't feel uncomfortable. Being alone with a couple can be pretty awkward, after all."

"Thank you, Shirota-kun... that's very considerate of you." Suzuhara had trouble hiding the disappointment in her voice, but at the same time, she also sounded relieved. "So, um..." There was a slight blush on her cheeks. "Your date, uh..."

Mahiru bit down on the embarrassment that tried to swallow him. It was beyond obvious that Suzuhara didn't know how to finish the question for fear of offending him.

Oh, this was going to be very awkward.

He took a deep breath to reassure himself. His hand found Kuro's as he took a step towards the vampire. Kuro seemed to be terribly busy staring off into nowhere, but Mahiru could have sworn that his cheeks were slightly pinker than usual. Then again, he was probably beet red himself.

"Suzuhara-san, this is Kuro," he said. "At least, that's what everyone calls him. He's my date."

"N-nice to meet you."

Suzuhara looked at Kuro with an expression that had 'What does he see in this guy?' written all over her face. It wasn't hard to understand why; a bored expression, eyebags and blue hair didn't exactly scream 'fairy tale prince'. The overly bright artificial lights didn't help matters either.

Still, Mahiru couldn't help feeling a little offended. So what if Kuro wasn't conventionally attractive? So what if he was pale and had eyebags? He still deserved to be loved, and there were so many other things about him that could make people fall in love with him. Besides, not everyone had the same tastes and some people might actually find him handsome...

Wait. _What?_

He wasn't referring to himself there, was he?

Well, he definitely was in character now. Acting wouldn't be a problem, thank goodness for that.

Still feeling slightly flustered and confused, he introduced the others to Suzuhara as they walked into the karaoke parlor.


	3. An Anthology of Blushes

"So... how long have you been dating?"

Mahiru relaxed a little. This was a question that he had expected Suzuhara to ask, and he had been wise enough to prepare an answer. "Just a couple months," he said. "We met in spring, at the beginning of the school year."

Okay, maybe he had panicked a little too much. Up till now, things were going smoothly. Maybe, just maybe, all of this wouldn't be as bad as he'd feared. Hopefully.

"I see..." Suzuhara looked genuinely interested as she continued to ask all kinds of questions. "How did you meet then?"

Another question Mahiru had anticipated. "He moved into the house next to mine," he lied. "Since we're about the same age, we became friends pretty soon." Not really a lie. Well, maybe.

Suzuhara smiled. "That makes sense! You see, I was wondering because I've never seen Kuro-kun at school..." She paused. "Speaking of school, isn't Kuro also your cat's name? The one that's always sitting on your desk?"

Oh _crap._

That question caught Mahiru off guard. "Ah, um..." Why hadn't he thought about that? He should have known that she would bring it up. Especially since Suzuhara was one of the girls who obsessed over Kuro the most. "Actually, that's... how should I put it..." What could he say? How could he lie his way out of this one? "It's kind of a coincidence... but not really... uh..." Think, think, think, think, think! "That's right!" His eyes lit up as an idea popped up in his head. "Soon after I met Kuro, I found this cat on the street and took him in. And the way he looked and acted just kind of... reminded me of Kuro, you know? So that's what I named him. Kuro. There's Human Kuro and Cat Kuro now... does that make sense?"

Suzuhara nodded. Mahiru sighed with relief as he gave his companions a glare that asked, 'Why didn't you guys say anything?' Well, it didn't matter anymore. He had dodged this bullet, so he should be fine now.

Or maybe not.

"Speaking of your cat, where is he today? Isn't he always with you?"

 _Double crap._ Mahiru tried to look as calm as possible as he frantically racked his brains for a logical explanation. Nothing seemed to make sense in his head. All the excuses seemed cheap and easy to see through. Damn it, why was he so horribly bad at lying? And _why on earth hadn't he thought about Suzuhara mentioning his cat?_ Was he an idiot? His eyes strayed to his friends, pleading, begging for help. _Somebody_ had to think of something.

Mere words were not enough to describe Mahiru's relief when Hugh spoke up. "There are no pets allowed here, so he had to stay at home," he said simply.

Oh, stupid. Obvious. Why hadn't Mahiru thought of this? He gave the small vampire a grateful look as he secretly cursed himself for his stupidity. Being too honest did have its drawbacks sometimes.

"By the way," Hugh added, "is anyone else feeling thirsty?"

Suzuhara jumped to her feet. "I can get everyone a drink," she offered.

"No, it's fine," Mahiru started to protest. "I can- mmmph?!"

Lily covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. "That would be very nice of you, Suzuhara-san," he said with the sweetest smile he could muster. "I'd like a black coffee please."

"I'd like some orange juice," Hugh said.

"Coke..."

"Uh, then it's soda for me... Hey, Kuro! At least say 'please'!"

"You're making such a big deal over a tiny word... How exhausting..."

"This isn't about words, it's about manners! Geez!"

"My, my, a lovers' quarrel..."

"Shut up, Lily!"

* * *

It took awhile, but finally everyone had placed their drink orders and Suzuhara left the table. Mahiru slumped with relief, letting out an exhausted sigh. "This is actually a lot harder than I thought."

"If it's so hard, then don't do it in the first place, you fool," Misono said. "Shirota, you should know by now that diving headfirst into danger doesn't qualify as a plan!"

"It sounds good enough to me," Tetsu remarked.

"Quiet, Sendagaya! Nobody asked you!"

"More importantly," Lily interrupted before the boys could start fighting, "you two need to act more like a couple."

The dreaded words.

"B-B-But isn't it fine?" Mahiru stammered. "I-I mean, Suzuhara seems to buy it just fine... right?" His face was practically glowing. Mahiru was positive that he was redder than a cherry by now. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. This was about to get even more mortifying than it already was. It looked like the universe really hated him today.

Misono sighed. "Shirota, you're too simple-minded. If you don't give her proof that you and your Servamp really are a couple, she won't 'buy it' anymore. That fight of yours was enough to make her suspicious."

"Okay, I get it. But..." Mahiru hid behind his hands to conceal his flushed face. His voice was so quiet that it was almost unintelligible as he continued, "How do we... act like a couple?"

"Are you serious?" Misono managed to sound annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "Shirota, you really are a fool. Didn't you think this through before you decided to carry out your plan?"

"Well... _That doesn't even matter now!_ "

It was Tetsu of all people who knew what to do. "My big sis has a boyfriend," he said slowly. "She always puts her head on his shoulder when they sit together. They keep saying all these cheesy lovey-dovey lines. I think they share food and drinks too. And the usual stuff... you know, kissing and holding hands."

During Tetsu's speech, the fake couple on the other side of the table had been reduced to a blushing mess that only wished to crawl into a hole in the ground and disappear. Kuro tried his hardest not to let his expression betray his feelings, but the color of his face spoke volumes.

Mahiru swallowed hard, took a deep breath, leaned to the side, and placed his head on Kuro's shoulder.

The vampire stiffened. Having someone this close, even if it was only an act, wasn't something he was used to. His heart beat faster. The spot where Mahiru's head rested on his shoulder felt oddly warm. It was uncomfortable, sure, but at the same time, it was exciting. Kuro hated to admit it, but he enjoyed it a little.

He didn't say that, of course. Instead, he kept his default expression and mumbled, "Mahiru, you're heavy. Do we have to sit like this?"

"You heard the others. We have to look like a couple," Mahiru answered. "We don't have to, uh, kiss and stuff," the boy blushed and averted his eyes, "but this should be okay, right? It's not for long."

Kuro was glad he didn't have to answer because at that very moment, Suzuhara came back with everyone's drinks.

Her eyes went wide as her gaze found Mahiru and Kuro. For a second, the supposed couple and the girl just stared at each other, faces flushed with embarrassment. _This evening is turning into a series of blushes and awkward moments,_ Mahiru thought. _I'll be so glad when it's finally over._

At the moment, though, it didn't look like that would happen anytime soon.

Suzuhara swallowed, blinked back her tears, and forced herself to smile. "Here are everyone's drinks," she said. "I hope I got them right."

"I'm sure you did." Mahiru gave her a reassuring smile. "Thanks a lot, Suzuhara."

Kuro wasn't sure why, but he didn't like Mahiru's smile and tone. At all. He was getting way too friendly with that girl, seeing as he was supposed to be dating _him_ and...

He stopped in his tracks. Didn't that sound like he was jealous? No. No, of course he wasn't jealous. All of this was only an act. Kuro definitely wasn't falling in love with Mahiru or anything.

Still, one of his arms snaked around the boy's waist, and the glare he shot at Suzuhara was a silent warning. _Hands off._

If Mahiru had noticed any of this, he certainly didn't show it. All he did was take a large sip of his soda as everyone else reached for their drinks.

Lily took one look at Misono and chuckled. "You're drinking hot chocolate at a karaoke night with friends? That's not very cool."

"Lame... can't deal," Kuro joined in.

Misono glared at them over the edge of his cup. Tetsu's gaze strayed from one to the other, genuine confusion in his eyes.

"Lame? I think you're pretty cool."

Misono almost choked on his hot chocolate. "What the-?!" he sputtered. "Sendagaya, you imbecile! Don't just say stupid things like that out of the blue! You really are an idiot!"

His face, which had been the epitome of calm, collected nobility up until then, now closely resembled a tomato. A very, very angry tomato yelling at Tetsu, who didn't have the slightest idea what he had done wrong.

"I was just telling the truth," he protested weakly. "I thought everyone liked getting called cool."

"How often do I have to tell you to leave the thinking to me? Besides, don't tell people things because you think they like to hear them! That's even worse than just speaking your mind when nobody asks you! Why did you call me cool? Did you think I needed some reassurance after being called lame? That's pathetic. Who do you think I am?"

Confusion grew on Tetsu's face as he listened to Misono's rant. "I... don't really get what you're talking about," he admitted. "To be honest, I didn't even think that far. I just felt like saying it. Sorry if you don't like getting called cool." He paused for a moment, thinking, before he continued, "Should I call you uncool then?"

Mahiru had to resist the urge to facepalm. Lily pressed both hands on his mouth, desperately and unsuccessfully trying to hide his laugh. Hugh snickered, but quickly hid it behind a fake cough.

"Of course not." Misono leaned back and folded his arms. "You really are an idiot." His voice was calm, but his cheeks were still treacherously red as he took another sip from his cup. Lily and Hugh exchanged a glance. They knew what was going on.

Suzuhara, who had watched the whole scene in growing astonishment, leaned over to Mahiru. "What's the matter with Misono?" she whispered.

The boy laughed. "He's... not very good at taking compliments."

"I see," Suzuhara said, laughing in her turn. "Maybe it's better not to compliment him at all. The way he was just now was pretty scary- _ah!_ "

Suzuhara's glass had stood on the very edge of the table. While laughing and talking, she had accidentally hit it with her elbow.

It hit the ground with a crash. A thousand shards scattered all over the floor. The drink was nothing more than a puddle on the floor, except for the splashes that had found their way on Suzuhara's new dress.

Suzuhara bit her lip. Her eyes filled with tears as she stood up. "I-I think I'll get something to clean this mess," she mumbled, turning away from the others. "And a new drink. And maybe a new dress, too..." She faked a laugh.

Before she could run away, Mahiru reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Suzuhara, wait. I'll help you with the cleaning, and the drink... you can have mine, you know. I'm not that thirsty anyway."

That was going too far.

Kuro didn't care if this was real or not, he definitely didn't like the thought of Mahiru sharing his drink with a girl. Especially not Suzuhara, who seemed to have gotten more smiles and nice words from him in a few hours than Kuro did in a month. She'd end up getting her hopes up if he kept going like this.

 _How exhausting._

Before Suzuhara could say anything about Mahiru's offer, Kuro grabbed his Coke and shoved it in her hands. "Here. You can have mine."

"Eh?"

"You like Coke, right? You can have it."

"Th-Thanks," she stammered, eyes wide with surprise. Mahiru was just as shocked. "Kuro...?" he asked. "Why did you... and what are _you_ going to drink?"

Kuro took a look at the glass of soda Mahiru had just taken another sip from. Suddenly his body acted on its own. He leaned closer, took the glass from Mahiru's hands, and drained it with one gulp.

Mahiru stared at him. For a split second, his mind went completely blank. What was going on? Had Kuro just taken _his_ drink instead of the one he had given to Suzuhara? Why had he done that in the first place, anyway? Helping others had always been troublesome to the vampire. And didn't he love Coke much more than soda? But more importantly... why was Mahiru's heart beating like crazy?

He suddenly noticed how close their faces were. They were just inches apart, so close that he could feel the vampire's warm breath on his lips. His throat felt tight and dry. He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his head. They were too close for comfort, way too close. He turned away, trying to figure out why his heart was racing like that.

"You said you weren't that thirsty," Kuro said almost apologetically.

Lily watched and observed.

The rest of the evening was unremarkable - well, as unremarkable as it could get considering that Mahiru was on a fake date with a vampire who played his role too well. They cleaned up the mess, took some more drinks, sang a few duets, and talked about pointless things.

Mahiru was glad when it was finally over.

"Thanks a lot for inviting me today, Shirota-kun," Suzuhara said with a slight smile. "It was very nice meeting you all."

"No problem," Mahiru answered without really listening. A few more minutes and everything would go back to normal.

Lily smiled his brightest smile. "It was very nice meeting you too, Suzuhara-san. Maybe you'd like to come with us again sometime...?"

So much for going back to normal.


	4. Racing Hearts

It was way past bedtime, but Misono was still awake.

There were so many things on his mind. Confusion. Questions. Questions he didn't know the answers to, and it was driving him insane.

 _I think you're pretty cool._

Every time he remembered that sentence, he could feel his cheeks flush. His heartbeat picked up. Blood went roaring through his veins, making him nervous and excited and very much awake. The scene was stuck on repeat in his head like a broken record.

 _Cool._

When was the last time someone had called him that? To Misono it seemed a lifetime ago. Bratty, lame, short, maybe smart if he was lucky. That was what people usually called him. But cool...?

Why did this one word affect him so much, anyway?

It was just Sendagaya who had said it. Sendagaya was an idiot. Everyone who had a bit of intelligence probably seemed cool to him. At least, that was what Misono told himself. To no avail.

Why was that bastard still stuck in his head? And why did such a simple remark from that fool make him so _damn happy...?_

Misono didn't know. As long as he kept losing his cool, he'd never be able to think about it rationally. He needed to calm down, but he couldn't. His treacherous heart kept racing and sending rushes of adrenaline through his body.

 _Okay, think. Here's the problem, find the solution._

It was obvious that he was happy about Sendagaya's words. Grateful, even. So far, so normal. But did that really explain the way he felt his cheeks flush when he thought about today? Did it explain the way his heart started beating faster, the way the memory made him feel happy and angry and flustered at the same time?

What was going on?

Misono, second son of the Alicein family, was a good student, possibly the best in his grade. He could beat almost anyone at chess, and he could make deductions like the protagonist of a detective story. There was just one thing he couldn't understand.

His own heart.

* * *

"Kuro?"

The vampire turned around to face Mahiru, a fresh bag of chips in hand. The boy looked nervous. Kuro couldn't quite tell in the dark, but his cheeks seemed just a shade redder than usual.

"I'd, uh..." Mahiru cleared his throat. "I'd like to thank you for today. Ah, no, um... you were great... no... that sounded kind of weird, right?" He laughed. "Actually, I'd just like to say thanks for going along with our plan and not blowing our cover. I had no idea you were such a good actor."

 _I wasn't acting,_ Kuro thought. _Those were my real feelings._

Like hell he'd say that out loud.

"Do we really have to do that again though?" he mumbled instead. "You don't make a very good boyfriend."

Mahiru's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Look who's talking!" he snapped. "I'd never date _you_ , anyway!"

"That feeling is mutual."

"Actually, that's not even the point! We don't have to date for real, after all. But..." Mahiru's eyes softened once more. "You'll help me again next time, right?"

"What a pain..."

" _You're_ a pain! It wasn't that bad, right?"

Kuro sighed, stretched out his long legs, and stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth. "How exhausting," he said with his mouth full. "But I want a new pillow."

"Okay, okay... Hey, don't talk with your mouth full! And stop leaving crumbs everywhere!"

" _Meoww!_ How can you hit such a cute cat... you don't have a heart..."

* * *

"So you don't think he's a good boyfriend?"

Kuro jumped with surprise. He hadn't talked to the small creature inside him for quite a while, but it was still there, jumping and bouncing around, always waiting for an opportunity to torment him with its questions.

"Why do you always pop up when you're _not_ wanted?" he asked the creature. "I don't wanna deal with you right now, so get lost."

The thing cackled, gleefully dancing around before his eyes and pretending not to have heard him at all. "Let's be honest. You're just jealous, aren't you? Because he's nicer to that girl than to you, his supposed boyfriend."

Kuro froze. He felt like he had just run into a glass door. _Jealous...?_ "Shut up," he growled.

"That's the only comeback you can think of? How disappointing." The creature grinned. "I just hope you're not considering falling for that boy for real? Of course you wouldn't. After all, he's human and you're a vampire. A creature of the night. A monster that never should have been created in the first place."

Kuro winced, twisting, turning, trying to get away from this nagging, smug voice and its uncomfortable truths. There was no way out. This creature was in his head, and it would follow him everywhere he went. He covered his ears, knowing it was futile. "What part of 'shut up' did you _not_ understand?"

The creature laughed again, a sound that stabbed through Kuro's soul like an icy blade. "Could you live with it? If you got too close and hurt him, would you bear it? If he found out what you really are, what you've done, how many innocent lives you took, would he still like you? Are you really willing to take that risk? Oh, and don't forget the most important thing..." It leaped on his shoulder, put its mouth to his ear and whispered, "He's _mortal_. And you're not."

Kuro clenched his teeth. The tiny creature's words had stabbed him in the heart and left him lying on his futon to bleed. "Dammit," he hissed. "Damn... you...!"

The thing chuckled, danced away and waved. "Good night and sleep tight!"

For the first time in centuries, Kuro found himself unable to sleep.

His eyes strayed over to Mahiru who lay curled up in his bed on the other side of the room, happily oblivious to the hurricane raging in the vampire's soul. The boy was fast asleep, breathing calmly, chuckling at some pleasant dream he'd probably have forgotten in the morning. The blanket had slipped off him and fallen down on the floor, exposing him to the silver-white rays of the moon coming in through the windows. He looked so beautiful, so peaceful. So very fragile.

Kuro looked at him and made a decision.

He wanted to protect Mahiru. No matter what happened. No matter the price.

Careful not to wake his sleeping Eve, he slipped over to the boy's bed and picked up the blanket. With an awkward, gentle motion, he pulled it up until it fully covered him again. Mahiru stirred slightly and smiled.

 _That's right,_ Kuro thought. _Smile. That's how it should be. I'll do what I can to protect that smile._

 _Even if you'll never direct it at me._

That was what Kuro wanted. He was sure of it like he had never been sure of anything before. Protecting Mahiru was his job, his purpose in life, even if it was exhausting. That tiny creature had overreacted. He was in no danger of falling for a human boy.

A soft laugh from Mahiru broke the silence. "Seriously, Kuro," he chuckled. "You're impossible!"

Mahiru was talking in his sleep.

And he was dreaming about Kuro.

A wave of emotion rushed over him. Warmth. Happiness. Things he didn't want to feel, not about Mahiru.

But still... had anybody ever been so kind to him before? Had anyone ever genuinely liked him before? Had anyone ever dreamed of him or smiled like that while thinking of him?

It was so new, so beautiful. The corners of Kuro's lips turned upwards, the hint of a smile that hadn't crossed his face in centuries. "You idiot," he muttered, not sure who he was actually talking about. "Stop being so nice."

Well, damn.

Mahiru's laugh and words had melted all the resolve Kuro ever had to keep his distance. He wanted to see the boy smile, yes, but not just at anyone. He wanted to see that radiant smile directed at him, and him alone.

That was bad.

The creature had been right after all. Kuro was in grave danger.

He was about to irrevocably lose his heart to a mortal boy.

* * *

When the rain woke him up the next morning, Mahiru was shocked to find Kuro already awake. The vampire sat slumped against the wall, playing a game and munching on some potato chips, a half-empty coke bottle standing next to him. If Mahiru didn't know better, he'd have thought Kuro hadn't slept at all.

"What the... Kuro?! Why are you awake?"

The vampire didn't even bother to look up. "Couldn't sleep."

That was anything but normal. Wasn't Kuro the type to always fall asleep in the weirdest places, at the weirdest times? "Are you okay?" Mahiru asked, worry clouding his clear voice.

Kuro just shrugged. "Sure." He thought about it for a moment, then he said, "Actually, I'm not okay. I'm pretty sure I'm sick, but I think I'll get better if you buy me a drink and we stay home from school for the week."

"...Sounds like you're fine after all."

Still, Mahiru couldn't help but wonder what was going through that vampire's head. They lived together, they were literally inseparable, but Mahiru realized that he barely knew anything about Kuro. He never spoke about himself. He never said what he was thinking, very much unlike Mahiru.

 _You're such a mystery. I want to get to know you better._

 _I want to understand you, Kuro._

There it was again, that strange feeling. Mahiru couldn't quite put it into words, but ever since yesterday's date his feelings about Kuro had... changed. They had become more intense somehow. He was torn between the urge to run away and the desire to place his head on the vampire's shoulder again, feeling a hand around his waist, sharing another drink.

Well, there was good news and bad news.

The good news was that he was probably just confused after the fake date.

The bad news was that there was another date coming up. _Thanks again for that, Lily. Not._

He'd have to get a grip on his emotions soon, or else the next date would definitely leave him doomed.


	5. Cupid's Stupid Arrows

"Sorry we're late!"

Everyone spun around to find Mahiru running towards them with Kuro in tow, clothes and hair drenched by the rain, catching their breath as they rushed into the room. The others were already there, interrupting their conversation to look at the newcomers. Mahiru took a look at the clock and sighed. "Five minutes," he panted. "I don't think I've ever run this fast before."

Kuro slumped against the next wall like a bag of potatoes. "I don't get you," he said. "Why bother running when you're late anyway? Were you trying to set up a new world record or something?"

"I don't want to hear _you_ say that! It's your fault we were late in the first place!"

"But I needed to finish that round. How is it my fault that it took so long?"

"Well, if it takes that long, why don't you just _pause the stupid game!_ "

Kuro and Mahiru were so focused on their argument that they didn't notice everyone else watching them with growing interest. Hugh took a sip from his orange juice. "Now if only we had some popcorn..."

Mahiru and Kuro spun around. "What?"

Lily smiled his sweetest smile. "Sounds like someone's jealous of a video game," he remarked.

Mahiru stared at him for a minute, the gears in his brains turning before it hit him. The color of his face changed to white and then red within seconds. "J-J-Jealous?!" he blurted out. "Me? I-I-I'm not jealous!"

"So you were jealous," Kuro said, mischief in his voice. "You should've told me earlier, I would've given you some more attention."

"Shut up! You're not helping the case!"

Suzuhara looked from one to the other, worry clouding her pretty face. "Is it my fault... that you're fighting?" she asked. "If I hadn't talked you into letting me meet Kuro-kun, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Mahiru interrupted her. His expression changed from a frown to a smile in a heartbeat. "We're always like this, it doesn't have anything to do with you."

Suzuhara blushed and smiled. "I'm glad. Thank you, Shirota-kun."

What Mahiru didn't notice was Kuro glaring daggers at his back. Why on earth was the boy so incredibly nice to that girl who had suddenly popped up and invaded their space? Why was he so concerned about her wellbeing? Even for the ever-helpful Mahiru, this wasn't normal.

A horrible thought struck him. What if Mahiru had begun to _like_ that girl after all?

Kuro had no idea why that idea horrified him so much, why it made him feel so threatened and insecure and like a third wheel, why he wanted to find out if he was right but didn't want to be. For him, Mahiru was off limits anyway. There was no point in feeling... jealous? Was that the word? Kuro hated to admit it, but it seemed to fit his feelings like a glove.

In any case, he'd have to find out about Mahiru's feelings towards Suzuhara.

* * *

"You live alone?" Suzuhara blurted out, eyes wide with surprise. "For real? That explains why you're so good at cooking!"

"Well - technically, I live with my uncle," Mahiru explained. "But he's almost never home, so I'm always stuck doing the housework by myself. Um..." He smiled sheepishly. "You like my cooking?"

The girl nodded. "Remember those cookies you made for the school festival? They were delicious!"

"Thanks!" Mahiru laughed. "I can give you the recipe sometime if you like. It's actually pretty simple, you know."

"Simple is best!" they both said in unison before bursting into laughter.

Kuro was in a horrible mood. Mahiru and Suzuhara had been laughing and talking the entire time. There was nothing they seemed to disagree on, and they seemed to complement each other perfectly. _A match made in Heaven,_ Kuro thought bitterly. He envied anyone who could hold a conversation with Mahiru without getting into a fight after a few minutes. Why couldn't _he_ ever say anything nice? He wanted to... but the words got stuck in his throat...

Then, suddenly, the unexpected happened.

"Cookies for the school festival," Mahiru mused, turning to Kuro. "I remember when I made those for the first time." He smiled gently as his soft, velvety brown eyes met the vampire's red ones. "It was the day I met you."

The words pierced Kuro's very heart and soul. His eyes widened. His heart beat faster as his face heated up and he blushed like a twelve-year-old girl. Any attempt to keep his expression stoic was doomed to fail. "You remember?" he asked quietly.

Mahiru's smile grew even brighter until Kuro had to look away for fear of being blinded. "Sure," he said, laughing. "How could I ever forget that day?"

Kuro wasn't sure if his Eve was just playing his role, if he was joking, or if he was actually serious. It didn't matter, not now. Mahiru's radiant, beaming smile didn't leave any room for worries and fears. Kuro wanted to say something, he wanted to smile and thank the boy for what had to be the kindest thing anyone had ever said to him, but the words were stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out.

"I'll never forget it either," was all he managed to say.

Mahiru took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad."

He turned around to find the others staring, marvelling at this unexpectedly heartfelt exchange. Suzuhara was the only one whose smile looked forced, and there were tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes. Mahiru's expression turned to worry. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," the girl lied. "I'm glad you got over the fight so quickly."

Mahiru wasn't convinced at all. "You don't look fine to me," he said. "If there's anything I can help you with, just ask, okay?"

Kuro's joy burst like a bubble.

It was obvious, so glaringly obvious. Of course Mahiru had a crush on that Suzuhara girl. He was a teenage boy. It was normal for boys his age to show interest in girls and fall in love for the first time. And Suzuhara was pretty and friendly, very much unlike himself. Mahiru had every reason in the world to like her, while Kuro was just a lazy, grumpy vampire who couldn't show emotions to save his life and who wasn't even remotely handsome. If he was in Mahiru's place, he'd choose her over himself too.

It was clear as day that Kuro liked this human boy way more than he should. It was even clearer that he didn't stand a chance.

All of this was too much to bear.

"I'm off to the bathroom," he said a little too loudly as he jumped to his feet, startling everyone in the room. Before anyone could say anything, he strode out of the door.

"Kuro?" Mahiru called after him. "Kuro, what's wrong? Are you okay? Wait up! Kuro?"

The vampire didn't answer. Without so much as looking back, he rushed off, the sound of his steps becoming faint as the distance between him and the others grew. The door slammed shut behind him.

Mahiru didn't know what to do. Should he run after his Servamp and ask him what was wrong? Would Kuro even tell him if he did? The vampire didn't ever talk about himself. Maybe Kuro just needed some time alone... but what if he actually needed Mahiru's help?

Then again... what if it was something Mahiru couldn't help him with? What if it was something he didn't want to talk about? It would just make Kuro feel even worse.

What was he supposed to do?

Mahiru's eyes strayed to his companions, asking for help, a thousand unspoken questions written in his face. What was the right thing to do?

"Leave him," Misono finally said. "Give him some time alone. Talking to him now won't solve anything."

"If you say so," Mahiru said hesitantly. "I guess I'll leave him alone for now."

Still, he was left with a lingering doubt that he might not have done the right thing.

"Anyways," Lily said, trying to shake off the gloomy feeling that had befallen them all, "since we have this wonderful karaoke machine standing here, why don't we use it a little?"

Mahiru looked at the ground. "I don't really feel like singing right now."

Tetsu gave the others a questioning look. "I'll go, if nobody else wants to."

"Go ahead," Hugh answered. Turning to the others, he added, "Tetsu has a very good voice, you know." Mahiru felt oddly reminded of a proud father talking about his child.

Lily's face lit up with an idea. "Misono, why don't you sing a duet with him?"

"What the...?! Like hell I'll make a fool of myself in front of everyone, you bastard!"

"Why, are you scared? Didn't know you had stage fright," Lily said, smiling all innocently.

"I don't!" Misono snapped. "I simply don't see why I should take part in such a ridiculous activity!"

"That's what friends do, you know..."

Misono smirked defiantly. "I'm not falling for that."

"Okay," Lily said cheerfully. "Suzuhara-san, would you like to sing a duet with Tetsu in Misono's place?"

The girl's eyes widened with surprise as her cheeks turned pink. "M-Me?" she stammered. "Uh, w-well, I'm not that good at singing, but I guess I can try..."

" _Fine!_ " Misono interrupted her. "I'll do it! I'll sing the stupid duet, and then we'll never speak of it again, so shut up everyone!"

Lily smirked to himself as the boy walked over to the karaoke machine and thoroughly examined it. "How does this thing work?"

"Here, let me show you." Lily pressed a few buttons. "Oops!" he exclaimed. "Looks like I selected the wrong song by mistake. It's a romantic ballad now... sorry!"

"What the...!" Misono's face was redder than a strawberry, but if it was because of anger or embarrassment he couldn't say. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? Change it!"

Lily blinked at him with feigned innocence. "Is there a problem with the song?"

"Yes, there is!" Misono fumed. "It's embarrassing! I'm so _not_ singing it! Change it right now!"

Tetsu watched them with a look of growing confusion. "I don't really have a problem with it," he remarked.

"See? He's fine with it," Lily said with a smile. "So why don't you go along with it? Or did the son and heir of the Alicein family chicken out and decide to run instead of facing his fears?"

"This is humiliating," Misono grumbled as he reached for the microphone. "Sendagaya, let's get this over with."

He surprised them all.

Misono's singing was forced and reluctant at first, awkwardly trying to keep down the trembling in his voice. After the first few lines, however, he gradually started to loosen up. His voice flowed clearer, louder, more naturally; there was so much power and emotion and beauty in it that no one could withstand its spell. It felt like rain after a long and hot summer day, cooling, refreshing and full of life. The frown on the boy's face disappeared, his eyes fluttered close, and a gentle smile graced his beautiful features. It was like the old Misono had vanished and turned into fairy prince from a forgotten realm.

Tetsu didn't stand a chance against this magic, and he didn't put up a fight. Distracted by the beauty of Misono's voice, he forgot the lyrics, sang horribly off-key, had to clear his throat a dozen times, and by the second chorus, stopped singing altogether. His eyes rested on the smaller boy, his mouth was agape, and there was nothing in his face but amazement and fascination.

When Misono finished, there was a moment of silence.

Then everyone jumped to their feet and gave him a standing ovation.

Misono opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and the spell was gone. "Thanks," he said coolly, almost sharply. "Can I sit back down now?"

Tetsu's eyes were still shining with fascination. "You were... that was... incredible," was all he could manage.

Misono blushed profusely, but he remained calm. "That was nothing."

They sat down again, one flustered but proud, the other still dazed. Lily and Hugh exchanged a knowing glance. So far, everything was going even better than they'd hoped.

Mahiru looked at the clock. "What's taking Kuro so long?" he wondered. "It's been almost ten minutes."

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Suzuhara turned to face him, her dark eyes looking straight into his. "Shirota-kun, I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, I hope it doesn't, uh, upset you or something... but, um..." She bit her lip nervously. "Shirota-kun, why did you fall in love with Kuro-kun?"

Pictures flooded into Mahiru's head. Kuro, not even bound to him by contract, offering to distract Berukia so he could run away. Kuro watching the horoscope every morning to make sure Mahiru wouldn't have an unlucky day. Kuro helping him and Misono retrieve the box where Lily was trapped in butterfly form. Kuro jumping between him and Lily when the latter flew into a rage.

 _Why did you fall in love with Kuro-kun?_

Mahiru could feel a fuzzy warmth spreading from his heart to every part of his body. His face lit up with a fond, gentle smile. There was only one answer to that question.

"Because he's so kind without realizing it."

Kuro had helped him so many times. How often had the vampire done something for him when he didn't have to? How often had he saved his life? Mahiru didn't know. All he knew was that Kuro probably needed his help, and there was no way he would let his Servamp, his partner and friend down.

Mahiru stood up. "I'll check up on him."

Kuro wasn't in the bathroom. He had fled out of the building to lean against the nearest wall and stare into nowhere while the minutes ticked by. Part of him had still dared to hope that maybe he was wrong. Maybe Mahiru was just being nice to Suzuhara and didn't have any feelings for her. Maybe he would come looking for him, ask him if he was okay, cheer him up and comfort him even though Kuro couldn't tell him why he was so upset. Maybe Mahiru actually liked him as more than a friend.

By now, that hopeful part was almost dead. Mahiru hadn't come.

Why did it hurt so much? Why did he like the boy with all his heart? Why did he care if Mahiru fell in love with a girl? Why did he want his Eve to fall in love with him? He wished somebody could take these feelings away from him. If this was love, he didn't want it.

Kuro snapped out of his reverie when he heard fast steps approaching.

"Kuro!" a familiar voice shouted. "There you are! Thank goodness. I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Hope flickered again as the vampire turned around to face Mahiru running towards him, out of breath and with a worried expression on his face. "Why did you leave? Are you all right?"

For a split second, Kuro was tempted to tell Mahiru everything. He wanted to tell him about those confusing feelings he had, how frustrating it was to see the boy together with Suzuhara, how much he wanted to be in her place. He wanted to ask his Eve how he felt about the girl, if his suspicion had been right. He wanted clarity.

But his courage failed him.

"If I told you about it, things would just get more troublesome."

"I see. If you don't want to tell me, I understand." Mahiru gave him half a smile. "But... don't forget that if I don't know what's troubling you, I can never help you."

 _That's nice of you,_ Kuro thought. _But you couldn't help me with this one even if you knew. There's no point in telling you if you don't return my feelings anyway. We'd just hurt ourselves and each other._

"The others are waiting." Mahiru smiled and extended his hand. "Let's go back, Kuro."

The vampire hesitated, then he took the boy's hand.

"You know," Mahiru said while they were walking back, "we should act more like a couple when we get back to the others."

Kuro listened and noticed that they were getting dangerously close to the others. If only Suzuhara wouldn't hear anything...

"Today we totally forgot to play our roles," Mahiru continued, apparently oblivious to the impending danger. "If we keep going like before, Suzuhara's probably going to figure it out, so we-"

He never got to finish that sentence.

Kuro grabbed his collar, cupped his face in his hands, and kissed him.

Mahiru froze. His mind went completely blank. What was happening? Was Kuro... _kissing_ him? How...? Why...? What on earth...? _What was happening?_

Before he could fully realize what was going on, his body responded on its own. Butterflies spread through his stomach. The sound of his heartbeat was throbbing through his veins. He closed his eyes and returned the kiss, leaning into the vampire, wrapping one arm around Kuro's back and playing with his soft hair with the other hand. A thousand emotions flooded him, and Mahiru was willing to plunge in and drown in them for the moment.

They were both out of breath when they finally parted, their heads dizzy with emotion, their hearts beating so loudly that they could probably be heard from the other side of the hallway. Mahiru turned around and made the horrifying observation that all their friends had watched and were staring at them in shock.

He turned back to the vampire. "What the hell, Kuro?"

His Servamp blushed bright red. "One more step and Suzuhara would've heard everything," he whispered. "The fastest way to shut you up."

The rest of the evening felt surreal. The others made a huge fuss over the kiss, but Mahiru couldn't be bothered to listen. There was so much going on in his head and his heart that he just couldn't focus on anything anymore.

Kuro had kissed him.

A million butterflies started to fly in his stomach every time he remembered the kiss. Kuro's taste was still on his lips, the taste of Coke and instant noodles and something else he didn't know the name of. It was exactly how he would have expected Kuro to taste like, but somehow completely different. Was there a name for this new feeling? Was there a name for this giddiness and shock and happiness that kept his head spinning?

Was it love?

* * *

Mahiru barely paid attention when everyone finally parted and left. What had the others said? Had Lily asked Suzuhara to come with them again? Mahiru couldn't remember. All their friends had already gone home, but he and Kuro were still standing in that street, not saying a word, waiting for the other to start a conversation. The kiss still hung between them like a ghost, unmentioned, invisible yet very much present. Neither knew how long they had just been standing there. It seemed like hours to them, but maybe it was just a minute.

Mahiru finally broke the silence. "Let's go home."

He reached out for Kuro's hand, hesitantly, like he was asking for permission to hold it. The vampire looked away, but he extended his hand, allowing his Eve to lace his fingers with his own.

"Your hands are cold," Mahiru remarked quietly.

Kuro's grip loosened, even though he didn't pull away.

"But you know what they say about people with cold hands," Mahiru added, his voice softening even more. "They have warm hearts."

Kuro didn't answer, but his grip tightened again, squeezing Mahiru's hand in a silent token of gratitude.

They walked home in silence, hands firmly clasped, each busy trying to sort out his own feelings but taking delight in the other's company. Sooner or later they'd have to talk about everything. Sooner or later they'd have to face everything head-on and decide what was best for themselves and the other.

But not now.

They didn't let go of each other's hands until they finally reached home.


	6. Sound of Silence

It took a few hours for the realization to kick in.

Kuro couldn't believe what had happened. He simply couldn't believe that he had kissed Mahiru. What had he done? He knew that the boy didn't return his feelings. He knew that he didn't stand a chance, and even if he did, he could never pursue his Eve. He knew that getting too close was dangerous, mortally dangerous for both of them. There was no way for them to be happy together.

And still, Kuro had gone ahead and done the unthinkable. He had gone against everything he had ever told himself, against everything he stood for, against reason itself.

Why?

The question had been haunting him for hours. Why had he done something this stupid? There was an explanation, of course. He had seen the opportunity and grasped it, knowing he might never get another one. But that explanation was so thin, so ridiculous when he looked back on it now. Hadn't there been any other way to shut Mahiru up before he accidentally told Suzuhara everything? Of course there had. He could have interrupted him way earlier. But he hadn't. He had decided to let the boy talk, just so he could kiss him in front of everyone.

Kuro buried his face in his knees, mortified and disgusted by his own selfishness. Oh, he was a monster all right. No matter how often Mahiru tried to tell him otherwise, this was a fact that wouldn't change.

"Kuro, you're still awake?" Mahiru sounded surprised as he walked into the room, drying his hair with a towel, cheeks suspiciously red. Kuro felt terrible, knowing exactly why the boy was blushing. _Great, now I've made him uncomfortable. I really want to punch myself in the face._

Mahiru yawned. "I'm going to call it a night," he said. "You should go to sleep too, today's been a long day. It won't help either of us if you're all tired tomorrow. You know, more than usual." He smiled and walked over to the bedroom door, only to pause in front of it and turn around. "Good night!"

His ever-smiling friendliness made Kuro feel even worse.

It was tempting, so tempting to let Mahiru's kindness lull him. So tempting to give in to the illusion that he was not a monster, that he was not alone. The boy really tried his hardest to make him believe that. But Kuro wasn't blind. He knew that his Eve was struggling to hide his embarrassment after the kiss. Mahiru was lying to make him feel better. It was probably the kindest, most selfless thing anyone had ever done for him, but it was still a lie. Kuro knew that believing a lie would hurt him in the end. Sooner or later the truth would catch up to him again, and it would hurt so much more than it did now.

Perhaps it was a good thing that Mahiru liked Suzuhara and not him.

At least, that was what Kuro tried to tell himself. It didn't make him feel any better, on the contrary - it gnawed on him and tore him apart even more.

Kuro had messed up big time, and he knew it.

Sighing, he transformed into a cat and curled up in the corner. "Can't deal."

* * *

Mahiru couldn't sleep. It had been a long day, and he was exhausted, but his mind was very much awake. As soon as he closed his eyes, the pictures came back, flooding his mind, making his chest flutter and his heart race. He had tried to read, but he couldn't focus. No matter what he did, his thoughts always strayed back to the kiss.

He didn't know what to think about it. Part of him wanted to forget that it had ever happened. He wanted to forget all of it, Kuro's warm breath on his mouth, the softness of his lips, his strange, unique taste. The feeling of the vampire's long bangs against his nose and cheeks, tickling him and making him smile. The way Kuro's hands had latched onto his arms and clothes, holding on for dear life, as if he was afraid of losing Mahiru if he let go. He didn't want to remember.

The other part of him wanted to do it again. He wanted to walk over to the living room, grab the vampire and kiss him again. All he had to do was get up.

But he didn't.

He couldn't just do that to Kuro without a reason. The vampire had just kissed him to keep him from slipping up, he had said so himself. Mahiru was the one who had gotten too into it, much to his own confusion. He couldn't confuse Kuro the way the vampire had confused him, especially since he didn't know about his true feelings.

 _He had other ways of shutting you up in time,_ his heart whispered. _Kuro wouldn't have kissed you if he didn't have some feelings for you._

Mahiru shook his head. Kuro had simply kept up the masquerade in front of Suzuhara. That was why he had done all these confusing things, and Mahiru had fallen for them hook, line and sinker. Kuro was a good actor, so good that he had even managed to fool Mahiru.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about pretend dates anymore. After seeing her crush kiss his (fake) boyfriend in front of everyone, Suzuhara probably wouldn't want to see him again anytime soon.

Now that it was finally over, Mahiru couldn't help feeling a little sad. Very sad, actually. In spite of all the disasters that had happened, he had enjoyed being Kuro's boyfriend.

Great. Now that he was rid of this role, he would do anything to have it back.

Where was Kuro? Was he planning to stay up the entire night again? Or had he gone to sleep in the living room? Mahiru couldn't help feeling worried. The vampire was probably as confused and flustered as he was... would he be all right?

Before he knew it, he had thrown aside the covers and stood up. He wouldn't kiss Kuro - of course not -, but there was nothing wrong with checking up on him. Mahiru couldn't sleep anyway.

Careful not to make a noise, he walked over to the room where he had left the vampire and stuck his head inside. At first glance it seemed empty. "Kuro?" he whispered into the darkness. "Where are you?"

The only answer he got was a tiny meowing noise. Mahiru followed it to find his Servamp in cat form, curled up in the darkest corner of the room, as if he was trying to hide from the world. He looked so small, so lost and lonely, that Mahiru could feel his heart breaking at the sight.

"Hey," he whispered, slowly walking closer to the cat. "You're not planning to sleep there, are you?"

Kuro yawned and raised his head to face him. "So what if I do?"

This was truly worrying. "But - but - don't you normally insist that you need a soft mattress and pillow to sleep?" Mahiru sputtered. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kuro sighed. "Why are you so worried about that, anyway?"

"The last time you slept on the floor in your cat form, you ended up getting trapped in a black ball and couldn't get out!" Mahiru huffed. "Can you understand why I'm a little worried?"

"You sound like a nervous mother."

"Well, babysitting you _is_ pretty nerve-wracking!"

They both fell silent and looked at the floor. Neither knew what to say. Both their faces heated up. Kuro curled up into a ball again when Mahiru finally spoke up.

"You can't sleep here," he said softly. "There's no way that's comfortable. Also..." He blushed as his eyes strayed everywhere, trying to avoid Kuro's bright, red stare. "It feels kind of weird without you around... in your usual place, I mean. It's kinda... empty?" He forced a smile. Was he even making sense? After his ramblings, it was probably blatantly obvious that he liked Kuro much more than he should. Anyone would have seen right through it.

Kuro didn't shift back to his human form, but he stood up and started walking over to the bedroom. "How exhausting. You won't stop bugging me until I go, right? Can't deal."

A tiny relieved smile lit up Mahiru's face as he followed his Servamp. Whatever it was that Kuro was thinking or feeling, it didn't seem to be as bad as the time he had been trapped in that mysterious black sphere. Maybe this time around, he'd be all right.

Kuro curled up in his bed and watched Mahiru do the same. Being this close to his Eve made him feel the tension in the air. He felt trapped. Part of him wanted to run and hide in the darkest corner of the apartment, get as far away from Mahiru as he could. Still, he stayed where he was. Mahiru was right. It looked suspicious when he sacrificed comfort for distance, and suspicion was the last thing he needed right now. No matter what happened, the boy could never find out about his feelings for him.

He hated to sleep in cat form, but that was a necessary evil. Kuro wasn't blind. Mahiru's relief to find him as a cat and not as the boy who had kissed him hadn't gone past him. Maybe he would just spend the next few days, or maybe even weeks, living like a cat. If it helped to make their interactions less awkward, it was something Kuro was willing to do.

Besides, if he was in that form, no one would be able to read his facial expressions.

He buried his face in his tail, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

* * *

No matter what Mahiru did, his eyes always strayed back to Kuro. A soft, tender smile spread across his face as he looked at the small sleeping form curled up in the vampire's bed. He couldn't help thinking what a cute cat Kuro was when he wasn't making stupid comments. Never had he been so happy to have found him, to have taken him in, to have formed a contract with him.

Why had it been him of all people? Why hadn't someone else found Kuro in his stead? Was it luck? Was it a coincidence?

Was it fate?

Mahiru had never been more inclined to believe in fate than when he looked at his vampire. He knew that they could spend hours upon hours bickering over the smallest things. He knew that they were polar opposites in almost everything. And still... he couldn't imagine a life without him.

Without knowing what he was doing, he extended his hand to run his fingers through Kuro's soft black fur.

Wait.

He stopped in his tracks, the tips of his fingers almost brushing Kuro's ears. _There's no way I can do that,_ his mind screamed. _What am I thinking?_

Sighing, he pulled back. What on earth was he trying to do? What was wrong with him? The kiss really had turned his mind upside down.

Mahiru couldn't lie. When he had walked over to check up on Kuro, he had been glad to find him in his cat form. But also... disappointed, somehow. It didn't make sense. Part of him never wanted to see the vampire's face again, but another part never wanted to look at anyone else for the rest of his life.

Was this still normal?

Of course not. This wasn't just the usual nervousness and embarrassment after an unexpected kiss. This was so much more.

So this was what love felt like. Excitement. Loneliness. Happiness. Fear. Tension. Racing hearts. Sleepless nights. The urge to reach out and touch the other and the blinding inability to move even an inch.

Somehow, it wasn't bad.

Kuro's ears twitched in his sleep. Following a sudden idea, Mahiru spoke up.

"Kuro?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you awake?"

"No," came the muffled reply. "I'm talking in my sleep, y'know."

Mahiru chuckled at the vampire's sarcastic remark. He gathered all his courage, clenched his teeth, and swallowed. "Uh, about today... that was... that was my first kiss." There, he had said it. Even in the comforting darkness of his room, he knew that his face was glowing red.

Kuro mumbled something unintelligible.

"What did you say?"

The vampire covered his face with his paws like he, too, was trying to hide a blush.

"I said... mine too."


	7. See Things Clearly

"Hugh?"

The small vampire looked up to see his Eve sitting next to the window, in the very same spot where he had spent the last twenty minutes gazing outside and not really reacting when people spoke to him. Not for the first time, either; ever since the last fake date he had been unusually thoughtful and distracted, and it had only become worse when Misono had dragged him to the amusement park today, insisting that it was just friends hanging out and most definitely not a date.

"Yes?" Hugh said with a smile. "Is anything the matter?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably, like he was about to say something very embarrassing. "Y'know... that feeling when you can't stop thinking of someone... and you're always wondering what that person is doing, and if they're thinking of you too... and when you dream of them, and want to be with them all the time, and maybe also hold hands and kiss them and stuff... What's that feeling called?"

Kuro had no intention of shifting back into human form anytime soon.

In fact, if he could have his way, he never wanted to turn human again, ever. Every single one of Mahiru's words was proof to him that he had messed up horribly. Part of him wanted to run away and never come back, but of course that was impossible. Mahiru would die if he did. No, whatever he did, he didn't want Mahiru to suffer. Had the boy not endured enough because of Kuro and his stupidity?

How did it feel like, being kissed by someone you didn't even love, even if it was for show? How did it feel to have your first kiss stolen from you when you wanted to save it up for your crush? How did it feel, having to look at the person who stole your first kiss, having to see their face again and talk to them? Kuro couldn't say. He could only imagine, and that was enough.

He didn't want to shift back to his true form. He didn't want his Eve to see his face again, and he didn't want to look at the boy either. He didn't want Mahiru to be unhappy, especially if it was because of him.

Why was everything so complicated? Why couldn't things be more simple?

 _Oh great, now I sound just like Mahiru,_ he thought in a strange mixture of bitterness and amusement. _I really have gotten too attached to this kid. This is bad._

A soft yawn and the rustling sound of a blanket being thrown aside snapped Kuro out of his reverie. From the corner of his eye he could see Mahiru sitting up on the bed and stretching. He hurriedly curled up into a ball on his pillow, pretending to be asleep.

Mahiru was still tired. He hadn't slept very well, and even during his few precious hours of sleep he had been haunted by vivid dreams, dreams he remembered nothing about except for the fact that Kuro had been in all of them. His gaze went over to the pillow where the vampire still lay curled up, fast asleep, his cat ears twitching slightly as he dreamed some unknown dream. He was still in his cat form, something that filled Mahiru with both relief and disappointment yet again. He almost welcomed the conlicting feelings this time, but soon worry took over, leaving no room for his other concerns.

It was anything but normal for Kuro to stay in his cat form for such a long time. Was he still this confused - no, embarrassed, ashamed even - that he couldn't bring himself to turn back into the boy who had kissed Mahiru? Did he think that it would make things awkward between them? Mahiru almost laughed at that. Things were already awkward enough between them now, but if they both acted like nothing had happened, maybe that awkwardness would disappear again soon. Nothing would change if the vampire stayed in cat form for all eternity - on the contrary, it would just make the awkwardness all the more obvious.

Couldn't Kuro see that?

Couldn't Kuro see that Mahiru missed his human face already? He had only seen it about twelve hours ago and yet every part of him longed to see it again. He wanted to see those ruby eyes that seemed so tired at first glance, but were actually full of warmth and a gentle light that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. He wanted to see that soft, silky blue hair that kept falling into Kuro's eyes all the time. He wanted to see that ever-frowning mouth with the pearly white cat-like fangs. And he wanted to touch it, cup the vampire's face in his hands and look into his soft eyes, run his fingers through his smooth hair that felt so much like cat fur and kiss his colorless lips until they were both blushing and out of breath.

 _What the...?_

He shook his head, trying to get the image out of his mind. Just what had happened to him between yesterday and today? Less than twenty-four hours ago he had seen Kuro as his best friend, roommate and partner, but nothing more, or at least he was pretty sure that he had never seen him as anything more. How had all of this even happened? How had one simple kiss managed to turn his entire world upside down?

He sighed, stood up and tried to occupy his mind with simpler things while he got ready for school.

Misono had no idea what had possessed him a few days ago, but _something_ clearly had, because otherwise he could never have come up with the completely ridiculous plan that was taking Sendagaya on what might or might not have been a date. No, not Sendagaya. Tetsu, he had to remind himself, that was what the boy wanted to be called, and Misono must have been entirely out of his mind to actually agree to that. He had never been on first-name basis with anyone outside his family before. Calling his friend anything other than Sendagaya felt unnatural to him, but since he had agreed to call the boy Tetsu in a bad case of momentary idiocy, he was probably going to be stuck with it.

Not that it felt bad. Calling someone by their first name felt strange and unusual and unnatural in any way, but not bad in the slightest, and being asked to do it was quite an honor. Nobody had ever bothered to do that before. Nobody except for Tetsu, who had just said it like it was the most normal thing in the world and definitely not a first for Misono.

It felt so normal to be with Tetsu. Everything they did together was so very ordinary, unless it was about fighting vampires, so much like everyone else their age that it was like an entirely new world. Misono almost forgot that he had grown up friendless when he was with him.

Misono was moments away from smiling fondly when his reasoning finally kicked in. _Stop it!_ it screamed, and his train of thoughts came to a grinding halt. Not a second too early, either; if his voice of reason had reacted but a heartbeat later, the train would have gone out of hand and become a train wreck. He had been a heartbeat away from caving, a heartbeat away from giving in to his treacherous heart and letting himself fall in love with Tetsu.

Misono wasn't used to being with people. Him having friends at all was a recent enough development, and one he still had to get used to. The art of human interaction was a wide and complex field and difficult enough to master, and while Misono was determined to learn everything there was to learn, he was also wise enough to know that he had to take one step at a time. As long as he was still trying to figure out the basics of friendship, any attempt at falling in love or pursuing a relationship was doomed to fail. His life was complicated enough already, thank you very much.

And then there was his pride. Showing his emotions openly wasn't something he excelled at - it was stupid and embarrassing and completely overrated, aside from the fact that it made him more vulnerable. Even the thought of him being lovey-dovey with Tetsu, the thought of him hugging the younger boy and kissing him and telling him he loved him, made his face flush with shame. Falling in love with someone was bad enough. Falling in love with Tetsu, who was male and an imbecile to boot, was flat-out unacceptable.

 _There's more to him than that. He's kind. He is strong. He trusts you with his life and looks up to you and would protect you at all costs. You of all people should know that._

Misono shook his head in a futile attempt to silence the nagging whisper of his heart. There it was again, that pathetic softness that had already clouded his reasoning when he had taken Tetsu to the amusement park and _almost_ allowed himself to fall for him. But this time he was prepared. He couldn't let it gain the upper hand again. He wouldn't, not without a fight.

There were dozens of good reasons not to fall in love with Tetsu. His brain knew that perfectly well.

Then why on earth couldn't he get that moron out of his head?

"How long are you planning to stay in that cat form, Kuro?"

The vampire seemed surprised at Mahiru's question, if the way his eyes widened was anything to go by. And Mahiru had to admit his question was rather sudden. They didn't usually talk much on their way home from school, after all.

"Dunno," the cat mumbled, averting his eyes. "I'll probably shift back when I feel like it. Why?"

Mahiru gulped and blushed. _Why?_ he thought. _Because I'm in love with you and I want to see your face and kiss you again? There's no way I could say that!_

"Um..." he stammered, trying to think of an explanation that didn't make him sound like a lovestruck idiot. "It's just, uh... it's not normal for you to stay in cat form for that long! And you even slept that way, even though you always say that it's not comfortable. It's just weird, you know? For me, too! I only haven't seen your human face for less than a day and I miss it already!"

Kuro looked up. "What?"

"What?"

Mahiru blankly stared at the vampire before his brain cells started to work again. The full meaning of what he had just blurted out kicked in. The color of his face changed from ash to tomato in less than a second. _Crap!_ he thought, frantically trying to find a good excuse for his slip-up. "N-No, um, th-th-that came out wrong! It's not what it sounds like!"

Kuro looked at him for a very, very long time. If Mahiru didn't know better, he would have said that the vampire was trying to read his thoughts. His bright eyes gazed straight into his soul and Mahiru knew then and there that all his secrets were laid bare. Everything he felt had to be written in his face so clearly that Kuro could probably read him like an open magazine.

After a very long, uncomfortable moment Kuro finally sighed and looked away. "I'll think of it... how exhausting."

That was what he said, but even hours after the conversation Kuro was still the very same cat. In the beginning Mahiru had blamed it on the sunlight that kept the vampire from transforming, but now it was swiftly growing dark and he still hadn't changed. Mahiru had no idea what was going on in his Servamp's head. Why was all of this so confusing? It wasn't simple at all. Then again, nothing related to Kuro was ever simple.

What was going on? Was Kuro planning to stay in that form forever?

Even while his thoughts kept spinning about the vampire and his mysterious change in attitude, Mahiru pretended to be normal. He did all the usual household chores, although he took a slightly longer time doing the laundry, missed a few spots while cleaning and almost cut his finger while cooking dinner. Before he knew it the moon had risen, it was time to eat, and Kuro was still nowhere to be seen.

"Kuro?" Mahiru called into the general direction where he suspected the vampire to be. "Dinner's ready! Where are you?"

No answer.

This was getting weirder by the minute. Usually Kuro would come and impatiently wait for food while Mahiru was still busy in the kitchen. Where was he? What was going on?

"Kuro!" Mahiru called again, louder this time, as he walked over to the living room. "What's wrong with you? Dinner's-"

The words got stuck in his throat as soon as he saw the vampire.

The living room was dark. Maybe Kuro had been too lazy to walk over to the light switch, and now it was almost pitch-black, except for the glimmer of silver moonlight that trickled through the windows, making everything look like it had come out of a fairytale.

And then there was Kuro.

He had finally gone back to his human form, and he looked incredible. He had taken his jacket off, and the black short-sleeved shirt he wore underneath revealed his slim but toned arms. His blue hair caught the moonlight like the sea at night. His skin, which had seemed sickly pale in daylight, looked snowy white and seemed to glow with an unearthly light. Mahiru wondered why he had never noticed how beautiful he was. Why had he never realized how delicate Kuro's features were, what long lashes he had, how tall and well-built he was? When had Kuro become so stunning?

Mahiru's mouth felt dry. It was hard to breathe. The pounding of his heart made it near impossible to piece the words together to form a sentence. For once he was grateful for the darkness that hid his glowing blush. His mind was blank, except for the overwhelming desire to touch Kuro and confirm that he wasn't just an illusion.

"What's wrong?" Kuro asked, breaking the spell. Mahiru blinked a few times like someone who had just woken up from a dream. His brain slowly started to work again.

"Um..." he stammered, trying to remember what it was that he had wanted to say before being distracted by the sight. "Dinner's... ready." _Wow, impressive, Shirota Mahiru. Congratulations on acting like a complete idiot. You could at least comment on him transforming back or something, since you were the one who asked for it in the first place._

Kuro just nodded and followed him to the kitchen.

Mahiru still had no idea what he was doing when Kuro took a large bite and closed his eyes like a smiling kitten. "This is good!" he said through a mouthful.

Before Mahiru could help it, a large, goofy, happy smile spread all across his face. "Thanks," he mumbled, trying not to look at Kuro's perfect, adorable face as the vampire proceeded to wolf down his portion. Oh, how he had missed this face.

He gathered all his courage and continued, "And... and Kuro?"

"Mmmm?"

"I'm... glad you're back to your human form."

Kuro's eyes widened for a moment, then he turned back to his food. And maybe it was just Mahiru's imagination, but he could have sworn that the vampire's cheeks were just a shade pinker than usual.

Hugh looked at Tetsu in a mixture of surprise and amusement. He had certainly expected his Eve to get these feelings eventually, and he had most definitely expected him to ask him about it, but this was rather soon. Oh well, there was nothing wrong with it happening this soon. Kids sure grew up fast these days.

"Hugh?" Tetsu asked again, looking and sounding very much like a lost child. "What's that feeling called?"

The small vampire looked at him and smiled knowingly.

"That's called love, Tetsu."

Mahiru couldn't take it anymore. All this blushing and awkwardness around Kuro was getting out of hand. He was never the type to bottle up his feelings, never had been, and it was getting harder by the minute. With every moment passing he loved the vampire more and more.

And so he made a decision.

Tetsu didn't really know much about this whole "love" business, but what he did know was that nothing good would come from hiding it. He had seen that with his sister and her boyfriend, and he had heard it from many others. Even he knew that love was something to be shared.

And so he made a decision.

At precisely nine o'clock, twenty-three minutes, and fifty-four seconds, in different parts of the city, Shirota Mahiru and Sendagaya Tetsu both made the same decision.

"I'm going to confess."


	8. I Confess

Finding the right place and time to confess was awfully hard.

Mahiru kept his eyes and ears open as often as he could. He had thought of all the words he wanted to say ages ago, and now he was only waiting for the right opportunity to finally say them all. But, for some reason, the opportunity didn't come. Every time he gathered up his courage and opened his mouth to confess, someone would barge in, the phone would ring, the food would get burned or boil over, one of them would sneeze, or Mahiru would trip over something, knock it over and break it and the mood was gone. Sometimes Mahiru wondered if it really was just some cruel, merciless twist of fate or if someone was doing it on purpose.

All the missed or ruined opportunities were getting on his last nerve.

Even he noticed that he wasn't acting the way he usually did. He had become more irritable, more prone to snapping and yelling at Kuro, nervous, and horribly awkward. And distracted. Very, very distracted. He spaced out on an almost regular basis, forgot what he had been about to say just two seconds ago, nearly slipped up about a dozen times an hour, ran against things he could have seen from a mile away, and left all his belongings in the weirdest places only to wonder where they had disappeared to. He probably would have forgotten his own head if it hadn't been attached to his shoulders.

Things couldn't continue like this. Mahiru was sick and tired of acting like a lovestruck twelve-year-old in every bad shoujo manga ever. This wasn't like him at all. Not to mention it was embarrassing, horribly so, and if Kuro had not found out about his crush on him already, it had to be glaringly, blatantly obvious to him now.

He had to do something. Waiting wouldn't make things any better.

 _Tonight_ , he promised himself. _I'll confess to Kuro at dinner tonight. And nothing will stop me._

"...kun?"

The voice seemed to reach him from some distant universe. Without really thinking who it could belong to or what could be going on, Mahiru replied absentmindedly, "Yeah?"

" _Shirota-kun!_ Are you even listening?"

Mahiru jumped, startled, and nearly fell off his chair. The voice, loud and clear and cutting through his reverie this time, belonged to Suzuhara, who was standing in front of him with her two friends in tow. One of said friends had even waved her hand in front of his face, but somehow he had completely failed to notice. "Y-Y-Yes!" he stammered hastily. "How - how long have you been here?"

The girl with the bun - Azuki was her name, if Mahiru remembered correctly - folded her arms and sighed. "Almost five minutes," she answered. "Just what were you thinking about so intently?"

"Um..."

"Shirota-kun, are you okay?" Suzuhara asked, placing a calming hand on her visibly exasperated friend's arm. "You haven't been yourself lately. Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Mahiru averted his gaze. Was it really that bad already? Suzuhara had been avoiding him ever since the... kiss incident. They had barely looked at each other, and the times she had actually talked to him since could be counted on one hand, and the few times they had talked, it had always been unavoidable. How bad did it have to be for Suzuhara, to whom the very sight of him had to be painful, to walk up to him and ask what was wrong?

 _Okay, I'm definitely confessing to Kuro tonight. This has to stop._

"Are you worried about something?" Suzuhara continued hesitantly. Lowering her voice, she added, "Did anything happen between... between you and Kuro-kun?"

Mahiru swallowed.

 _Crap._

So it was that obvious already? Suzuhara had seen right through him in an instant. But how much had she figured out? What should he tell her? The truth wasn't an option, as usual. How much could he tell her while both sounding credible and not giving away that he'd been lying to her all along?

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"It's pointless, Suzuhara," an all too familiar voice said from the direction of the door, causing both Mahiru and the girls to spin around. "We've been trying to get something out of him since forever, but he won't say a word."

"Ryuusei!" Mahiru exclaimed, both startled by his two friends' sudden appearance and grateful for the distraction. "Koyuki!"

Suzuhara blushed and tried to hide between her friends. "S-Sorry..."

"Geez, Ryuusei!" Koyuki scolded his shorter friend, who just shrugged nonchalantly. "That's not how you talk to a girl! Sorry, Suzuhara-san, he didn't mean it. Right?"

Ryuusei shrugged and grumbled an apology.

Mahiru watched as Ryuusei and Koyuki chatted with Suzuhara and her two friends, the topic thankfully drifting away from himself, and followed them with his gaze as all five of them left the classroom.

Once again, he'd narrowly escaped.

And he really needed to do something about the whole situation before anyone came any closer to the truth.

* * *

Mahiru had been acting weird lately.

Kuro wasn't exactly sure why. He wasn't really the type to ask questions or show concern for anyone, so he hadn't asked his Eve about it, but he couldn't fight the lingering suspicion that this unusual change in behavior had something to do with a certain girl.

He didn't want to think about it. Maybe he was wrong about it, after all. And even if he was right, the ways of Mahiru's heart were none of his business. Thinking about it too much was pointless.

That was what he tried to tell himself, anyway.

The real reason was fear.

Kuro was afraid. He was afraid of finding his suspicions confirmed, afraid of losing Mahiru to that girl, afraid of seeing him happy with someone else. It was something he couldn't handle. Even the mere thought of it tore him apart from the inside, cut up his heart into a million pieces and left him to bleed without being able to die. Part of him was fairly certain that he was right, that Mahiru really did like Suzuhara, but he didn't want to know. Even if that was the case, he'd rather stay in denial forever.

And then today had happened.

Kuro had suspected it from the start, but today's incident barely left any room for doubt. The blush on Mahiru's cheeks as Suzuhara had approached him, his nervousness when she had talked to him, the way he had avoided her gaze all spoke a language of their own.

He hated that girl. He hated that pretty face of hers with the dark, long-lashed, doll-like eyes, the small mouth and the pink cheeks. He hated her hourglass figure and her soft-looking dark hair and her mild-mannered, friendly, shy personality. He hated everything that had drawn Mahiru to her. Everything he didn't have.

And he wanted to hate Mahiru for being so oblivious of his feelings for him. He wanted to hate him for returning the kiss and holding hands with him and saying kind words and not really meaning anything, doing all of these things just to be nice.

But he couldn't blame him.

Most of all, he hated himself for everything that he was, everything that made him so different from Mahiru or Suzuhara. He wasn't kind. He wasn't handsome. He wasn't even human. So what was he complaining about, really?

All these thoughts were gnawing at him, eating him up from the inside until maybe, hopefully, he'd be left without any emotions at all, becoming just an empty black hole. But he couldn't show any of that.

He was trapped in his cat form, sitting on Mahiru's shoulder, pretending he was just fine.

* * *

The silence was abruptly ended when Misono's phone rang.

He jumped out of his chair, tripped over the carpet, nearly faceplanted the floor, caught himself just in time, continued to sprint across the room, almost knocked over a vase that some idiot had placed in his way, darted over to his table and snatched his phone so hastily that he nearly dropped it again. His heart was racing with anticipation. Nobody had bothered to call him in months.

He took a look at the caller ID and found his face heating up. _Tetsu._ The boy he'd taken on a not-date and exchanged numbers with, the boy who had sneakily made his way into his heart, was calling him.

Wasn't this an awful lot like some romance novel?

 _Of course not_ , he told himself, annoyed at his overactive imagination. _We're friends, it's only normal to call each other sometimes._

He took a deep breath to regain composure, cleared his throat, and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Misono? Hi," he heard Tetsu's voice say from the other end of the line. "Ah, um... it's me, Tetsu."

Misono tried to sound as sharp as usual. "Considering that the caller ID already said it was you, that should be rather obvious."

Was it just him, or did Tetsu sound different somehow? Kind of... nervous? Insecure?

"Right." Tetsu paused for a moment before continuing, "Are... are you at home right now?"

It wasn't just Misono's imagination. Tetsu really did sound troubled. "Did anything happen?"

"What? No." Tetsu's voice sounded more and more insecure now, and Misono regretted his question already. "It's just... there's something I'd like to talk to you about. In person. Can I come over?"

Misono hesitated. Part of him wanted to say that Tetsu was always welcome, but that would be horribly embarrassing. Actually, meeting Tetsu at home at all would be embarrassing. Lily had teased him about their (perceived) feelings for each other before. No, as much as he wanted to meet Tetsu, he had to talk his way out of it.

"Why don't you just tell me right now?"

"It's not really something you can talk about on the phone." Tetsu sounded almost desperate as he continued. "Just... let me drop by your place and I'll tell you everything, okay? Please."

This was unusual. Sendagaya Tetsu, normally stoicism personified, seemed to have lost all his cool. Just what could be so important that it even made Tetsu nervous? Worry, compassion and curiosity took up Misono's mind, pushing aside his concerns and pride. He just hoped that it wasn't anything bad.

He sighed. "Very well. You can come to my house, and I'll listen to what you have to say. Just try not to waste my time."

"Cool, thanks!" Tetsu said, audibly relieved. "I'll be at your place in ten minutes."

"See you later, then."

"Later. Bye!"

Tetsu hung up, leaving Misono to wonder just what on earth he had just agreed to.

* * *

Mahiru could barely concentrate anymore. In fact, one could probably say he was a nervous wreck. Ever since he had resolved to confess to Kuro at dinner, he had become more and more tense, shaky and distracted. His heart was beating way faster than it should, and it showed no sign of slowing down. Now that he was finally preparing the dinner that would decide the course of the future, everything seemed to go wrong, get burned, broken, knocked over, thrown down or otherwise messed up so that he had to redo it. He really hoped he hadn't confused salt with sugar.

Time seemed to move at a snail's pace. Every time he thought an eternity had gone by, he looked at the clock only to discover that barely five minutes had passed since the last time he had looked.

 _Dammit, I just want to get this over with._

If Kuro had noticed anything, he didn't show it. Then again, Kuro's poker face made guessing his thoughts virtually impossible. But Kuro was rather perceptive... was him acting like usual a good sign? A bad sign? How would he react? Would he be surprised? Would he accept Mahiru's confession? Would he reject him? What would he say?

Mahiru shook his head. It was pointless to obsess over it now. If he ever wanted to finish preparing the meal, he really needed to concentrate on cooking now.

Later on he wouldn't remember just _how_ he had finally managed to finish making that meal. All he knew is that he somehow had, and while it wasn't nearly as good as he had intended it to be, at least it was edible. For the time being, that needed to suffice.

He wasn't all that hungry anyway.

Kuro was already waiting, as usual. He calmly finished playing whatever level of whatever game he had been playing, then stuck his phone in his pocket and took a good look at Mahiru's face while the boy was busy laying the table.

Mahiru tried his best to avoid Kuro's inquiring eyes. There was something in the vampire's gaze that was too sharp, too perceptive for comfort. Mahiru felt his face heat up. He felt exposed, like all his secrets were laid bare by Kuro's piercing red eyes.

"Your face is pretty red," Kuro finally said. "Do you have a fever or something."

"What? N-No, I'm fine." Mahiru took a shaky breath, trying to calm down but just making himself a little dizzy. His heartbeat was almost deafening in his ears.

 _Now or never._

"Actually - Kuro, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

* * *

The ten minutes between the call and Tetsu ringing the doorbell were the longest ten minutes of Misono's life.

He hated it, waiting for something to happen and not knowing what to do. Not even knowing _what_ was about to happen. What did Tetsu want to talk to him about? What could be so important - or so private - that he didn't want to tell him over the phone? Especially considering it was Tetsu, who was normally so casual about everything?

The ringing of the doorbell finally, finally snapped him out of his reverie.

Misono didn't think he had ever been at the door as fast as this time. He raced over to it and opened it so quickly that he nearly crashed into Tetsu, who was now standing in front of him.

He took a look at the boy. He didn't look normal. His cheeks were glowing red, his hair was a mess, his hands were fidgeting with his shirt, and he was visibly out of breath. He looked like he had been running to Misono's house, but most of all, he looked distressingly nervous.

"Come in," Misono said hurriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I... I think." Tetsu took a few hesitant steps into the house, running a hand through his hair. "So... Misono, I..."

"Wait." Misono was almost dying of curiosity, but he didn't mean to show that, of course. "If it's something important, we shouldn't talk about it here. Let's go to my room."

Tetsu's face went even redder at that suggestion, but he nodded. "'Kay."

They walked to Misono's room in silence and sat down. Tetsu tried to look anywhere except for Misono's face. For a long, uncomfortable moment, neither of them said a word.

Finally Misono couldn't sate his curiosity anymore. "So?" he asked. "What was it that you've been meaning to tell me?"

"I like you!" Tetsu blurted out, then shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean... Misono... I think I'm in love with you."

"Huh?"

Misono's brain stopped working. His mind went blank. Tetsu's words echoed through it, again and again and again.

 _I think I'm in love with you._

His heart skipped a beat and started to race. His blood rushed through his veins. His face was glowing with heat. Was this what he thought it was?

"Is this... a confession?"

"Yeah." Tetsu managed the tiniest of smiles. "I... I think you're really amazing. I mean, you're so smart and nice and cool and... I think it's love. I've never been in love before, but I asked Hugh about it and he said I'm in love with you."

The last sentence stabbed Misono's heart, making all the surprise, excitement and the tiny bit of hope and joy burst like a bubble. "I see," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "So that's how it is."

A glimmer of hope lit up Tetsu's blue eyes as he finally looked up and met Misono's gaze. "So... will you go out with me?"

"No. Sendagaya, listen." Misono bit down on the disappointment as he continued in what he hoped to be a calm voice. "You're mistaking admiration for love. Lily and Hugh want us to get together, so Hugh told you that you're in love with me. That's all there is to it."

He didn't want to believe his own words. He wanted to be proven wrong. But he was still afraid of getting too close, afraid of starting a relationship. His heart whispered that he really did love Sendagaya Tetsu, a lot, but all of this was so overwhelming and new that he didn't know what to do. All he knew was that it was best to proceed with caution, especially when he wasn't sure if Tetsu really loved him.

Tetsu lowered his gaze, hurt, dejected. "I see," he said quietly, mostly to himself. "So that's how it was, huh? My first crush sure was short-lived." He looked up again, a wave of sadness in his ocean-blue eyes. "But I thought I was Tetsu to you now."

"I made a mistake." Misono hated himself for what he said, he hated himself for hurting Tetsu, but he couldn't help it. "We got too close, and that's why you mistook our friendship for love in the first place. We should put some distance between us and you'll get over it eventually. It wasn't even a real crush in the first place."

Tetsu didn't say anything. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's the matter? I think the discussion is finished."

Tetsu slowly looked up to meet Misono's eyes, looking calmer and even hopeful this time. "I've got an idea."

* * *

"Actually - Kuro, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Kuro looked at Mahiru, trying to read anything from the boy's face. Mahiru was blushing bright red, his fingers pulling at his sleeves, his voice slightly shaking, but his eyes practically glowing with pure, unconstrained emotion. Whatever it was that he was about to say, it had to be very important if he was that nervous.

Kuro could only think of one thing that could possibly... no. No, no, impossible. It couldn't be about _that_.

"I'm listening," he said quietly, in a much more serious tone than usual.

Mahiru managed a shaky smile. "Well, actually... I should've told you a long time ago. I mean, you're my partner and my friend, so you deserve to know the truth, no matter what you think of it. Well, maybe you already guessed it a long time ago, secrecy isn't really my strong point, I guess... but even if you didn't..." He swallowed. "Just promise me that you won't hate me if I tell you."

That sounded a whole lot like it really was about...

No.

It couldn't be. No matter how much it sounded like it. Maybe it was just Kuro's imagination and Mahiru was about to tell him something entirely different.

In any case, all he knew that he would never be able to hate Mahiru, no matter what the boy told him. So he just numbly nodded his head while trying to calm himself down. Maybe it wouldn't be about _that_ , after all.

Mahiru smiled a little more steadily and continued. "Well... actually, I realized it the night after the second fake date. The night after the... y'know, the... kiss incident. And a couple days later I decided to tell you, but I didn't manage to find the right place and time yet. Until now."

Fake date? Kiss incident?

It really was going to be about _that_ after all. And Kuro didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to know.

Mahiru took another deep breath and reached for Kuro's hand, his own hand trembling slightly. "The thing is... Kuro, I..."

No.

"I really..."

 _No!_

"I really love-"

"I know," Kuro interrupted him, his voice harsh and cold, cutting through Mahiru's words like steel. He stood up, nearly knocking over his chair, pulling his hands away from Mahiru. "You don't need to tell me."

He knew exactly how that sentence was going to end.

 _I really love Suzuhara._

He knew it. He always had. But it still hurt, finding his suspicions confirmed like that. Actually hearing it from Mahiru's mouth would break him.

He'd rather keep lying to himself than hear the truth.

Mahiru looked at him, pain, disappointment and betrayal burning in his eyes and stabbing Kuro through the heart, but he ignored it as he turned around and left the room. The door slammed shut behind him.

 _I'm sorry, Mahiru. But I can't be the friend you deserve, not this time._

He flopped down on the floor and buried his face in his knees. Damn it all. Mahiru had broken his heart, and he had hurt and betrayed Mahiru in return. He didn't know what hurt more. He didn't know what to do. He knew that he had chosen the lesser of two evils, but he still felt like a coward and traitor for it.

Hearing that Mahiru loved Suzuhara and was completely oblivious of his feelings would have shattered his heart into a million pieces.

But now all he could think of was the look of betrayal on Mahiru's face.

* * *

 _I know. You don't need to tell me._

So that was Kuro's response. He had known. He had known about Mahiru's feelings all along. Of course he had. Mahiru was like an open book when it came to his emotions. Everyone could see through him in an instant. Especially someone like Kuro, who had centuries, maybe even millennia of experience.

Kuro had known. And he had chosen to pretend that he didn't, that Mahiru didn't love him with every inch of his being.

So that was how Kuro responded to Mahiru's feelings. He didn't return them. They made him so uncomfortable that he didn't even want to hear about them and reject Mahiru properly.

The kiss really had been just for show then. And everything else - Kuro's perceived jealousy towards Suzuhara, sharing drinks, holding hands - everything had been an act.

Mahiru supposed that he needed to thank Kuro then. If his feelings really did make the vampire that uncomfortable, he had to be grateful that Kuro had acted so well that even he had fallen for it. Sometime he would need to thank him.

But not now.

Right now, he only felt hurt, hurt and betrayed.

Hot, burning tears rose in his eyes and blurred his vision. He didn't even bother to hold them back.

He quietly walked over to his room, buried his face in the pillow and cried.

* * *

"I've got an idea."

Misono gave Tetsu a questioning look. "An idea? What did you just think of?"

Tetsu's eyes flickered with hope. "Well, the thing is that you don't want to date me because you don't believe that I'm really in love with you, right?"

Misono still didn't understand. "That's about it, yes... why?"

The corners of Tetsu's mouth hinted at a smile as he continued, "Then I just have to prove it, right? I just gotta prove that I really do love you."

Misono felt his face heating up yet again. Tetsu was right. And it was convenient, too convenient... "What do you suggest, then?"

"Try going out with me." Tetsu extended his hand, almost as if he was proposing some kind of business deal. "I don't know how exactly I'm going to prove it, but I'll think of something. So will you give me a chance?"

Misono was tempted to say yes. Tetsu's offer was unusual and bold, but it was certainly worth a try. The prospect of a relationship still seemed scary, but who was he to back out of a challenge? It was just Tetsu proving the nature of his feelings, nothing else. It wouldn't even count as a real relationship, yet.

He looked at Tetsu, the boy who had somehow managed to win his heart, and smiled slightly. He looked at his handsome, adult-like face, his athletic body, his hopeful expression. He looked at Tetsu's extended hand.

And he took it.

"It's a deal, then."


	9. Spoken and Unspoken

Tetsu was late. Well, technically, he was probably going to be on time; it was just that Misono _felt_ like he was late because he'd been standing in front of this movie theater and waiting for the past thirty minutes, if not more. Not because he was excited for this date, of course; if anyone had a reason to be excited today, it was probably Tetsu. No - Misono had simply left a little early because you never knew what might happen on the way, and showing up late would have been very unfitting of the heir of the Alicein estate.

He most definitely wasn't excited, let alone nervous. He had only come here because Tetsu had talked him into giving him a chance. And it wasn't like he had put extra thought in his looks for that boy's sake, either. Misono just didn't know what people usually wore when going out on movie dates, and had decided that being a little overdressed was leagues better than being a little underdressed for the occasion. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to _impress_ Tetsu or anything.

Oh great, now he was overthinking things again. Maybe arriving half an hour early and waiting all alone had been a pretty bad idea, after all. To top it off, he was alone, or so he hoped; Lily was meeting with Hugh in a nearby café. Misono wasn't sure if he regretted not taking his Servamp with him - just in case they needed a distraction or someone to lighten the mood - or if he was glad that the vampire wasn't around to tease him about his date.

Now where on earth was Tetsu? How long was he planning to keep Misono waiting? He did realize that it was very bad style to keep your date waiting for half an hour?

Oh. Right. He didn't _know_ that Misono had been waiting here for half an hour. Misono made a mental note not to arrive early the next time they went on a date.

"Misono!" Tetsu's voice called from some point behind him. He checked his watch. On time.

He hurriedly adjusted his shirt and tie, fixed his hair as best as he could, and turned around.

Tetsu looked different. He had exchanged his usual outfit for a simple long-sleeved black shirt, jeans and a denim jacket. His hair was just a little less messy than it normally was, and Misono noticed that his hairpins had disappeared. The boy looked older, elegant even, and his shirt and jeans did a marvellous job in discreetly showcasing the toned body underneath. It was hard to believe that he was only fourteen years old.

Misono was _not_ staring. He was simply appreciating Tetsu's good looks.

And apparently Tetsu was doing the same.

After half an eternity of staring at each other and admiring the other's looks, they both blushed bright red and looked away.

"You look, um, nice," Tetsu said, talking more to his shoes than to Misono. "Nice shirt."

Misono suddenly found himself very interested in all the details of the old movie poster next to him as he tried to ignore the way his heartbeat started racing a mile a minute. _You're the one who looks nice,_ he thought. _Stunning, actually._ "I... guess you look half decent too," he grumbled in the general direction of his shoelaces.

They both hesitantly looked up. Their gazes met, and they blushed and hurriedly looked away again. Looked up again. Blushed. Looked away.

This couldn't go on forever. Something had to be done, Misono knew that as well as anyone else, but he had no idea _what_ needed to be done.

It was all Tetsu's fault.

Misono was never unprepared. He always knew what to do. Even if his first plan failed, which didn't happen a lot, he always had a backup plan. And a backup plan for the backup plan, in case it was needed.

But not when it came to Tetsu.

Sendagaya Tetsu put him at a loss. He was an unknown number in the equation, a wild card, something Misono couldn't calculate. Planning ahead was useless when it came to Tetsu. How could such a simple boy be such a mystery? Was there something Misono had been missing, something he didn't see? Or was he actually simple, and it was Misono's mind that shut down as soon as he tried to think about him without losing his head?

 _Oh, great. Great._ He was already in the fast lane to losing his heart, the last thing he needed was losing his _mind_ too!

"Hey, um..." His train of thoughts was interrupted when Tetsu finally spoke up. "I think the movie's starting soon, so we should go inside, I guess."

"Right." Misono cleared his throat, adjusted his tie again and made his way towards the entrance of the movie theater. "Let's go."

* * *

The silence this morning was unsettling.

Mahiru had woken up to find Kuro in cat form, curled up in the darkest corner of the apartment. The vampire hadn't even complained when Mahiru had come to wake him, and both of them had quietly got ready for the day, without the usual squabbles and discussions. Neither of them had said a word beyond what was necessary. Kuro was still in cat form.

Everything was silent as Mahiru walked over into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast and lunch. Kuro wasn't there to sneak some food like he usually did, and Mahiru spent several minutes just staring at his breakfast before deciding that he really wasn't hungry.

Finally there was a noise from the living room. Someone had turned on the TV; Kuro was watching the horoscope like he did every morning. Mahiru couldn't help but smile when he remembered that the vampire did it for his sake.

A hopeful thought struck him. Maybe Kuro wasn't mad about yesterday's confession anymore? In any case he had to be hungry, seeing as he hadn't eaten anything last night. Maybe the vampire would accept an apology in the form of some breakfast...

Without giving himself time to think for too long and start doubting his idea, he grabbed a plate of food and hurried to the living room.

Kuro was still in cat form.

"Kuro?"

The cat didn't look at him, although one of his ears twitched in Mahiru's direction.

"I brought you some food," Mahiru continued, slowly feeling his courage fade. "You must be hungry."

Kuro didn't answer. All he did was throw a quick glance at the plate as Mahiru set it down on the table in front of him before focusing on the horoscope again.

"Well..." Mahiru's voice was becoming shaky, and he hoped it didn't crack. "Just... eat it when you feel like it, I guess. Hurry up a little, though. We're leaving for school soon."

He turned around and fled the room. Hot, burning tears stung the corners of his eyes, demanding to be let out, but this time he forced them back. How had he even dared to hope that Kuro would stop ignoring him for something that simple? Feelings weren't simple. Love wasn't simple. By attempting to confess he had hurt Kuro's feelings so badly the vampire hadn't even let him finish his sentence. Of course he wouldn't accept such a cheap apology.

But what could he do? How could he make up with his Servamp?

He didn't even care about his unrequited feelings for Kuro anymore. He didn't want to take their relationship to the next level. All he wanted was their old friendship back, the way it had been before romance had made its way into it and destroyed it all.

He was tired of the silence. He was tired of talking to a wall. He was so sick and tired of the distance that had forced itself between them, and it had only been there since last night.

 _Damn it all._

He really needed to come up with a way to make up with Kuro. But not right now. Right now, he needed to leave the apartment, or else he'd be late for school.

Forcing the tears back one more time, he cleared his throat and called, "Kuro, we're leaving!"

No answer. Again.

"Kuro, did you hear? We're leaving! Where are you?"

Silence.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Mahiru hurried back to the living room. "Kuro, what are you doing? We're going to be late!"

Except for Mahiru's loud voice and steps, the room was eerily silent. The TV had been turned off again. At first glance, no one seemed to be around.

Kuro was still in cat form.

The vampire lay curled up on one of the cushions on the couch, a small, helpless-looking ball of fur gazing off into nowhere. For a split second, Mahiru felt the overwhelming urge to hold him in his arms, pet him and tell him everything was going to be alright.

No, no! Thoughts like that had dragged him into this mess in the first place!

Careful not to hurt the cat, he reached out and lifted Kuro in his hands, placing him in his backpack. He was just about to turn around and leave when something caught his eye.

Kuro's plate had been licked clean.

* * *

Getting just one bucket of popcorn for the two of them had been an exceptionally bad idea.

If their hands brushed one more time, Misono was probably going to die. Sitting this close to Tetsu, and an outstandingly handsome Tetsu to boot, was more than enough to drive him nuts and have his heart race at a mile a minute, but every time they accidentally touched he went on a roller-coaster journey. Every part of him was shaken. His mind was blank. It was incredible and terrifying at the same time, and all he wanted was to get out of there and regain his composure again. But leaving Tetsu's side...? No, he didn't want that. Truthfully, he didn't know what it was that he wanted. He didn't even know if any of his thoughts actually made sense.

To make matters worse, there were people around. Misono could feel curious looks poking them from all sides, and even if he couldn't actually see anyone staring, he knew that enough people were watching the two boys who were so obviously on a date with interest. Here and there he had heard some hushed whispers, and once or twice he had caught something that sounded eerily like "cute couple".

This was a whole new level of embarrassing. How did other people even do things like that on a daily basis?

Tetsu didn't seem entirely comfortable either. He probably didn't notice people's looks and whispers, but he still looked nervous, trying not to look at Misono but not concentrating on the movie either. Every time they accidentally touched he jerked his hand away like he had just burned it, sending popcorn flying all over the place in the process.

Seeing Tetsu so nervous was somehow reassuring. At least Misono wasn't the only one who was all flustered, but as the older one of the two he couldn't show it as much, of course. He was supposed to act like a mature adult, even though he didn't really feel like one.

He focused on the screen again, pretending to have any idea about what was going on. Then he reached for the popcorn again. His fingers brushed against Tetsu's.

Only this time, it wasn't by accident.

This time he had done it on purpose.

* * *

The hours ticked by. Time was slower than a snail, and school seemed to take forever. Nothing notable happened. Kuro still didn't talk. If anyone had noticed that Mahiru wasn't himself at all, they had been wise enough to keep quiet about it.

In fact, everyone had noticed that Mahiru and Kuro were not themselves. Mahiru rarely responded to anything and kept staring holes into the air if he wasn't trying to establish eye contact with his cat, and Kuro was a lot less friendly than usual. He barely touched the food the others offered him, and most of the time he just lay on the floor or curled up in Mahiru's backpack, as if he was trying to hide from something the others couldn't see.

No one knew what to say, though. Mahiru had been a little off for the past few weeks, but this was different. Up until yesterday he had been on edge, nervous and easily distracted but still trying to act normal. Today he was just quiet and apathetic, as if an invisible weight kept dragging him down, and even if he himself probably didn't realize it, he had dropped any pretense of being fine.

But they didn't ask him about it. They all knew that Mahiru would just lie to them and say that everything was alright, and they had accepted that whatever it was that was troubling him was probably something he couldn't talk about.

Mahiru was glad. Of course he wanted to talk to someone, tell them how he felt, ask for advice, but none of these people could help him with this. None of these people knew his secret, and he didn't want them to.

As for his other friends - no, he couldn't possibly tell them. Misono and Tetsu were busy sorting out their own relationship, Lily and Hugh were just as busy playing matchmaker and helping them along, Mikuni probably wouldn't be any help whatsoever, and Sakuya was with Tsubaki.

As much as he hated it, this was something he had to solve on his own.

 _Fine._

He'd just go for the simple approach and try to talk to Kuro.

It wasn't like he had anything to lose, after all.

* * *

It was dark outside when Misono and Tetsu left the movie theater, not touching but walking so close to each other that their sleeves almost brushed. Neither of them was smiling, but their cheeks and eyes were alight with an excited glow that spoke volumes.

"So, about today..." Tetsu began, still visibly nervous. "How was it? Was it okay? This was my first date y'know..."

"It was... alright," was all Misono managed to say. "Not bad. I guess."

"That's great!" Tetsu's face lit up a little more, glimmering with hope as he continued, "Does that mean that you believe me now?"

"Not so fast! Today was... nice and all," Misono cleared his throat and felt his face flush, "but it didn't prove anything. Anyone could take me out on a date even if they didn't like me at all! If you want to convince me, you better come up with some real evidence."

"I see..." For a split second Tetsu looked a little dejected, but that notion vanished quickly. "I'll do my best!"

Misono couldn't help smirking as he looked at the younger boy. This whole romance business was still a new world to him, but he wasn't so afraid of it anymore. It was reassuring to see that Tetsu was just as lost in it as he was, and most of all, he was starting to view this as a challenge he needed to face. And Misono loved challenges.

He cracked a smile, folded his arms and met Tetsu's gaze head-on. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks! Uh, I don't really know how to prove it though... yet. Maybe I'll ask Hugh for advice."

"...Please don't."

Tetsu was just about to reply something to Misono's last remark when they heard hushed voices from the potted plant next to them. Awfully familiar voices.

"Why, they're not even holding hands! Are they really this shy? My, my, they really are children after all..."

"They went further than this in the haunted house! Although I have to admit that was mostly our fault. - Do you think they kissed?"

"Already? Oh dear, kids sure grow up so fast..."

They were interrupted when Misono threw his wallet at them. "Shut up you two! I can hear every word you say!"

Everyone who happened to pass by at that moment witnessed a strange scene that involved a short high schooler picking up his wallet from a potted plant and yelling at the butterfly and the bat flying around his head.

Mahiru couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't keep waiting for the opportune moment, because who knew when it would come. Who knew how much longer he would have to sit here in cold silence, with a vampire who didn't talk to him anymore, in the place that he had once called a home but that didn't feel like home now that Kuro was silent. He couldn't wait that long.

He had meant to wait for a good moment again, but he couldn't do it anymore. He didn't care if the moment was wrong, if there would be a better one if he waited long enough. This silence had to end.

He gathered his courage and walked up to the vampire, who had shifted back into human form to play video games but had pulled his hood so far down that his face remained hidden.

 _Do or die._

"How much longer do we keep not talking?"

Kuro didn't say anything, but Mahiru saw him press the pause button on his game.

"Kuro, I can't stand this anymore. You haven't said a word since last night and I'm tired of this silent treatment. If I said anything wrong yesterday... I'm really sorry. I'll do anything I can to make up for it, but I can't do that if you don't tell me how, you know?"

"You didn't have to say it."

Kuro's voice was solid, ice-cold steel, cutting through the air and sending shivers down Mahiru's spine. It was louder than usual and eerily monotone, as if someone had replaced the old Kuro with a robot. But at least he was talking again.

"I've known it for weeks, but that didn't mean I wanted to hear it. Just don't bother me with that kind of thing, okay?"

The voice of steel struck and stabbed Mahiru in the heart. Kuro didn't want to be bothered... Did he think that little of his feelings? Did he only see them as a bother, a burden, something he didn't want and didn't need? Was their friendship worth so little that he didn't care that Mahiru had fallen for him, hard?

No, no. That couldn't be. That didn't sound like Kuro at all. Mahiru refused to believe it. He refused to believe that someone as kind and selfless as Kuro would do such a thing. He wouldn't stoop that low.

After a moment, the vampire continued. "Just go for it and don't bother telling me. It's none of my business anyway."

"...What?"

Wait, what was going on? What was he talking about? Mahiru gaped at him as he desperately tried to make sense of Kuro's words. Had he missed anything important?

What was going on?

"I said," Kuro repeated wearily, "don't bother me with it and ask her out already. You have my blessing."

The steely edge had completely disappeared from his voice. The only thing left was bitterness, frustration, resignation and bitterness.

"Her...?" Mahiru repeated, his confusion growing with every passing second. "Who is...? Kuro? What... Just what on earth are you talking about?"

"Are you really that dense or are you just pretending?" The bitterness in Kuro's voice mixed with growing exasperation and annoyance. "Suzuhara, obviously. Even a blind guy could see that you're head over heels for her, and she obviously likes you back, so just ask her out and live happily ever after. Your love life is none of my business."

Everything clicked into place.

Suddenly it all made a frightening lot of sense.

"Wait." Mahiru could barely believe what he had just heard. "Kuro... you thought... I was going to tell you... that I... like... Suzuhara?"

Kuro looked up, for the first time in almost twenty-four hours. The expression on his face was just as baffled as Mahiru felt. "You weren't?"

"No." The more Mahiru thought about it, the more ridiculous that thought seemed to him. "Why do you think we went through all that just to make her move on? And do you really think I'd have made such a big deal over just telling you about that?"

Kuro turned away, cheeks flushed with what could only be embarrassment. "Can't deal," he mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say. Mahiru could understand his mortification. The whole fiasco had been a big misunderstanding on his part, and he had also hugely misinterpreted Mahiru's personality. To make matters worse, Mahiru now knew both of these things.

After a long, nervous silence, Kuro spoke up again, hesitantly, like this was an act of courage and much more than a simple question.

"Then what... were you gonna tell me?"

Mahiru saw the blush on Kuro's cheeks. He saw the look of fear and hope in his eyes, saw the way his hands were shaking, heard the slight tremor in the vampire's voice. And suddenly all nervousness he had ever felt disappeared from his mind. All he could feel was courage and hope.

"I love _you_ , Kuro. That's all I was going to say."

Kuro's mind went blank.

This couldn't be. It couldn't be real. After so many days of pining, wishing, hoping against hope, Mahiru had said what he hadn't even dared to dream of hearing from him. Everything felt unreal, like a vivid but distant dream engulfing his mind and tricking his senses.

Mahiru's words were resonating in his mind. Little by little, the realization started kicking in.

Mahiru loved him. The boy he loved so dearly, more than anything, more than life itself, had just confessed that he felt the same.

What now?

For the first time in his life, Kuro truly understood what people meant when they said _Be careful what you wish for._ For so many hours, days, weeks, his only wish had been to hear those magical three words from Mahiru. But now that his dream had finally become reality, he wasn't feeling happy at all.

He was panicking.

What now? What should he say? What should he do? Mahiru loved him, but why? What was he seeing in him... a bloodsucker... a vampire...

The voice he had been trying so long to push to the very back to his mind surged from its corner and bared its fangs at him. He could hear it whispering in his head, hissing, repeating the same word over and over and over again like an endless echo.

 _Monster._

He clenched his teeth, trying to silence the voice in his head. His eyes strayed back to Mahiru. Mahiru, who looked so warm and kind and hopeful and... and fragile. So very, very fragile.

"I see," he heard himself say. "Guess that feeling's one-sided. Sorry."

What was he saying? What was he doing? Mahiru had just confessed to him and he was lying through his teeth and rejecting him? No, this was wrong! He didn't want this-

 _But what's the alternative?_ the voice in his head whispered. _We both know what it is. Would you really want that to happen?_

Pictures flashed through his mind. Blood. Suffering. Fear. Death.

So much blood.

 _He's mortal, you know,_ the voice continued. _Even if you don't end up hurting him, which is unlikely, sooner or later you're going to lose him. Do you really want to get close to someone who could die on you any day? Do you want to get close to someone_ you _could kill any day? It's happened before._

The voice was right. Falling in love had been a mistake. If he got close, he would only get his heart broken.

Mahiru looked at him, surprise and disappointment in his eyes, but he still cracked a smile. "That's fine. I mean, not really but... I understand. Let's just not talk about today again. But Kuro..." His smile lit up with the familiar radiance that would never fail to dazzle Kuro in the best way imaginable. "Thanks for listening to me. And thanks for being honest."

 _Honest..._

Kuro couldn't take it anymore. He fled into the bedroom and collapsed on his futon.

* * *

Kuro was still in the bath when Mahiru fell asleep. This time around, however, the room didn't feel empty. He had been rejected, of course, and it hurt; but it hurt much less than the cold silence from before. Kuro didn't return his feelings, but they were back to being friends, and for now that was more than enough.

He closed his eyes and drifted off into a pleasant dream.

Mahiru woke up to the first rays of the morning sun tickling his face. For the first time in weeks he felt well rested and refreshed. Maybe he wasn't as happy as he could be, but it had been a long time since he'd felt so okay.

He rolled over, scrambled out of the covers, sat up and stretched. "Time to get up, Kuro," he said with a big yawn.

There was no answer, not even the usual groan.

Startled, he blinked, dropping his arms to his sides again. "Kuro?" He glanced at the vampire's futon.

It was empty.

"Kuro?" he called, alarm ringing in his voice. Was the vampire up already? Had he slept in some other room? "Kuro, where are you?"

No answer.

Seriously alarmed, Mahiru jumped up. Opened the door. Ran out. Looked into the living room. Kitchen. Bathroom. Uncle's room. Once. Twice. A third time.

But no matter where he looked, no matter how often he looked, he couldn't find the vampire.

Kuro was gone.


	10. Chasing Lights

Kuro was gone.

Mahiru didn't know how. He didn't know why. He didn't even know where the vampire had gone. Hadn't they just made up yesterday? Nothing made sense anymore.

But right now, none of that even mattered. All that mattered was that he needed to find Kuro again before the separation took its toll on his body. No, their bodies, he reminded himself. Kuro would also suffer. He wouldn't die, but he would suffer. And Mahiru didn't want Kuro to suffer. Where was the vampire now? Was he walking the streets somewhere, all alone, and come back sometime soon? Was he lost? Was he hurt? What if anything had happened to him? What if he was being held captive, what if-

 _Stop._

Mahiru couldn't let those thoughts creep into his mind. He couldn't afford to lose his head now. Kuro wasn't a child, he was a strong, century-old vampire. He knew how to take care of himself.

More importantly, how long had Kuro been gone? How much time did Mahiru have left? He felt fine, aside from the worry, so they couldn't have been separated for more than six hours. How far could a vampire get in that time? Where could he have gone? Where should Mahiru look for him?

He didn't know.

All he knew was that he had to go outside and look for Kuro.

He hurried to the bath, got dressed, and without even bothering to eat breakfast, he ran out of the house.

* * *

"Lily..."

The vampire turned around, smiling his ever-present smile. Or rather, smiling as always but using that infuriating "I know exactly what you're talking about but I'll pretend I don't to mess with you" smile that had made its way on his face a whole lot more than usual in the past few weeks. "Yes?" he asked.

"Lily." Misono tried to keep calm, but he couldn't keep his face from twitching. "What. Is. _This?_ "

Lily kept smiling as he replied, "This is chocolate, Misono. You eat it a lot, so what's wrong with this one?"

"They're homemade chocolates in a fancy box!" Misono snapped. "It's not even Valentine's Day, so where do they come from and what are they doing here?"

"Oh, _that_ 's what you mean!" Lily's fake innocent smile fully turned into an amused one. "Tetsu-kun brought them earlier. He said he made them himself, they're for you... You were still getting ready and he had to hurry to school, or he would've waited for you and handed them to you personally." He sighed wistfully and wiped a tear. "Ah, young love..."

" _Shut! Up!_ "

Lily laughed and dodged the punch thrown at him with the routine of many years. "Aren't you going to eat them?"

"For _breakfast_?"

"You can at least try some. It's not like you have to eat all of them at once, right?"

Misono hated to admit it, but Lily had a point there. And of course he was dying of curiosity to see what the chocolates tasted like, but... he also wanted to be alone when he tried them. Obviously he couldn't tell Lily that, or else he'd just have to suffer even more teasing.

Oh well.

"Trying one won't hurt, I guess." He lifted the box in his hands and carefully opened it.

Inside was an array of chocolates of varying shapes and colors, with some of them bearing an accidental resemblance to circles, squares or hearts. Most of them looked more like vaguely shapeless blobs of chocolate. They didn't look bad, just awkwardly done, like Tetsu had tried making chocolates for the first time.

Misono picked up one of the less shapeless chocolates and took a bite.

It wasn't like anything he had ever tasted before. His expert tongue could immediately taste all the small weaknesses, an inconsistent texture, too much sugar, not enough body.

There was so much wrong with these chocolates. But they were the most delicious thing Misono had ever tasted.

How was that possible? Why did these flawed chocolates melt in his mouth and fill his body with warmth and his heart with joy, despite all their imperfections? Why did eating them make him so inexplicably, indescribably happy?

It was almost like he could feel Tetsu's kindness through them, a little awkward, a little too sweet, but beautiful and delicious in its own way. No, he interrupted himself, this wasn't just simple kindness. This was more.

Misono had always refused to believe it, but love did have a taste.

It tasted like awkwardly done chocolates.

"Do you like them?"

Lily's question snapped Misono back to reality. He looked at his Servamp and realized that he had been smiling. In a futile attempt to hide both the smile and his glowing blush, he covered his mouth.

"They're kind of good," he admitted.

He'd have to remind himself to thank Tetsu later.

* * *

Mahiru didn't know how much he had spent running all across the neighborhood, looking behind hedges, under parked cars, into dark corners. He didn't know how often he had called Kuro's name, again and again, never getting a response. He had lost all track of time. Was it only eight in the morning? Was it noon already? It felt like he had been doing this for years.

There was no sign of Kuro.

What was he supposed to do? He had looked everywhere. Should he go and check every corner a second time? And then a third time after that? Should he go back and see if Kuro had returned home? No, that would be like giving up. But he was tired. Exhausted. Frustrated. He had no idea where else to look for Kuro. All he knew was that he needed to keep looking, even if it was futile, even if he didn't have the energy for it.

No matter what happened, he had to find him. Even though he didn't know how.

"Mahiru?"

He jumped with surprise when a familiar voice called his name. Turning around, he saw Ryuusei and Koyuki approaching him, both carrying their school bags, walking fast.

"Hi, guys," he said with a forced, exhausted smile. "What's the time?"

"It's quarter to eight," Koyuki answered, worry written all over his face for everyone to see. "What's wrong? Why aren't you wearing your uniform? Why are you sitting here on the side of the street? Where's your bag? You're going to be late!"

So it was only that early. Mahiru felt like he had been running around for much longer.

"I... guess I won't come to school today," he said. "Kuro ran away. I'm looking for him right now."

Without even hesitating for a second, Ryuusei clenched his fists. "I'll join ya!"

"Me too!" Koyuki added quickly. "By the way, you look pretty pale. You haven't even eaten today, have you?" He took out his lunchbox and shoved it into Mahiru's hands. "You can eat this and then we'll go looking for your cat!"

Mahiru looked at his friends in amazement. His eyes stung with tears as a gentle, comforting warmth spread throughout him and his face lit up with a grateful smile. "Guys..."

"Hey, don't go getting all sentimental." Ryuusei grinned and looped an arm around his shoulders. "That's what friends are for, right? We're gonna go out there and find your kitty cat in no time, you'll see. Six eyes are better than two!"

"That's right!" Koyuki agreed. "Now hurry up and eat, and then we'll go find Kuro."

Mahiru couldn't help it. He looked from one to the other and burst into laughter. "Thanks, guys."

Kuro's disappearance still didn't make sense. He was still worried sick about his Servamp, and he still had no idea where else to look for him. But he wasn't alone anymore. Ryuusei and Koyuki had his back, and together they'd definitely find him again. He didn't doubt that for a second.

* * *

Everyone was way too busy with lunch break to notice Misono sneaking away from the classroom and onto the school's rooftop, his phone in his hand. His heart was pounding in his chest. _It's just a call,_ he told himself. _It's only a simple, short thank-you call. Don't panic._

There was no use. He was practically shaking when he reached the rooftop, thankful to find he was alone, and this time he wasn't just catching his breath because of the stairs.

 _Let's get this over with._

He had made his decision already. It was best to do it as soon as possible, or else he'd hesitate for too long and chicken out. And that was definitely not something he wanted - he'd been pulled along at Tetsu's pace for too long. It was time to take the reins again.

He swallowed hard and dialed Tetsu's number.

The phone rang once. Twice. Thrice. There was no answer yet. The entire world seemed to have gone silent, except for Misono's heartbeat resonating through his whole body. He wasn't even sure if he wanted Tetsu to pick up or not.

There was a fourth ring, and Misono was just about to hang up when he heard Tetsu's voice at the other end of the line. "Hello?"

Misono cleared his throat even though it wasn't even hoarse. "Hello, Tetsu. It's me."

"H-Hi!" Tetsu sounded just as flustered and nervous as Misono felt, which was somehow reassuring. "Sorry, um, it took me awhile to find my phone, it was somewhere in my bag and I didn't remember where..."

"No problem." _Big problem! The minute I spent waiting for you to pick up has been the longest of my life!_ Like hell Misono would say that. He was trying to appear cool and collected, for crying out loud.

There was a moment of silence.

"So..." Tetsu finally said. "Is there anything you wanna talk about? Anything special... or something?"

Misono got straight to the point. "The chocolates. I think I owe you..." He struggled with the word for a moment before forcing it out through gritted teeth. "... _thanks_... for that. They... weren't half bad, I guess."

"Did you like them? I'm glad!" Even through the phone Misono could tell that Tetsu was smiling and wished he could see his face now. "I think it's because I thought of you when I was making them."

"...Huh?"

Well, so much for appearing cool and mature. Misono was left completely and utterly speechless.

Tetsu continued talking, blissfully unaware of Misono's sorry state. "Well, people keep saying that food tastes better if you make it while thinking of someone you love-"

"Shut up!" Misono interrupted him. "Don't say corny embarrassing things like that all of a sudden, you big idiot! What will people think?"

This was too much. It was too much for him to handle. He didn't care about appearing cool or mature or collected anymore. Tetsu's words had shot him right through his heart and filled him with a thousand emotions he couldn't name. Even breathing became hard. He had no idea how to react, other than turning on the self-defense mechanism that was throwing around insults.

"I don't care what people think." Tetsu didn't sound surprised or dejected or disappointed. He just sounded perfectly calm. "What's wrong with people knowing I like you, anyway?"

"Shut up already!" Misono had to end the call, and he had to do it soon. Tetsu's honesty made him overflow with embarrassment and happiness and if he heard any more of it, he was probably going to die. "Listen. I really have to go back to the classroom now or I'll be late talktoyoulater _bye_."

"Uh... Bye!"

Misono hung up and collapsed against the nearest wall.

 _Wow,_ he thought, _that was smooth, real smooth. Way to go, me._

He had completely and utterly messed up this call, screwed up everything that he could, ruined his cool, mature image, and behaved like a complete and utter idiot. It took another idiot like Tetsu to not judge him after this minor disaster.

Other than that, though, he was happy. Happier than he had felt in a long time, and when he finally calmed down enough to go back to class, he was still smiling from ear to ear.

* * *

It didn't make sense.

Nothing made sense anymore. Mahiru was freezing, he was starving, he was soaked, he could barely walk anymore. His feet hurt. His head hurt. Every single part of his body hurt, and his hands and face were about to freeze off.

But even in this utterly spent, exhausted state Mahiru had noticed that something was off. It was way past noon. He'd been looking for Kuro for at least six hours. By now, he should have felt the first symptoms of separation already.

But there were none.

Kuro couldn't have gone that far. He had to be nearby, somewhere, anywhere, but apparently Mahiru was just too stupid to find him. Where was he hiding? Where hadn't Mahiru looked for him ten times over? If he was near, why couldn't he find him? Could vampires turn invisible? Or had he...

No. No, impossible.

What if Kuro had somehow dissolved their contract?

 _He can't,_ Mahiru tried to reassure himself. _If he even knew how to do that, he probably would've done it back when we didn't get along yet. In any case, I'm sure he can't just break the contract by himself._

But what if...?

He shook his head. Thinking about that was pointless, it would only make him panic. Right now he needed to calm down and think rationally, consider all the places where he would hide if he was Kuro, ask all the neighbors again, and look everywhere he could.

 _Damn it._ Hadn't he already looked everywhere? What was he doing wrong? Where else was he supposed to look? For what felt like the millionth time today, he felt like crying.

He missed Kuro. He missed the vampire's annoying remarks, the warm presence of a cat sitting on his shoulder, his eyes, his voice, his random transformations, everything. He didn't want to sit here, on some bench next to some street somewhere in this cold, rainy, windy, lonely, forsaken place, watching strangers walk by who didn't care about him sitting there like a lost child. All he wanted was to pull Kuro into a tight hug, bury his face in his chest, feel his warmth and never let go.

"Mahiru!" His thoughts were cut short by his friends' voices calling his name. "Mahiru, did you find him?"

He shook his head. "There's not a trace of him. Did you guys find anything?"

Koyuki sighed dejectedly. "Nothing."

"Not even the tip of a tail," Ryuusei groaned, sitting down next to Mahiru. "Nobody's even seen the stupid cat. It's like we're chasing a ghost or something."

"Thought so." Mahiru tried not to be disappointed and failed. "What..." His voice wavered, and he took a deep breath to steady it. "What are we going to do now?"

Koyuki folded his arms. "You're not going to do anything, Mahiru."

"Huh?"

"You go back home, eat and rest."

"But..."

"No buts!" Koyuki's voice was firm as he pulled Mahiru up from the bench and started pushing him in the direction of his apartment. "You've been running around in the cold and the rain since who knows when, you've barely eaten, and you're soaking wet. Go and get some rest, or else you'll catch a nasty cold. That's an order!"

"That's right," Ryuusei added with a grin, "listen to Mommy, Mahiru. Go home."

"D-Don't call me Mommy!"

"But... But..." Mahiru gave up struggling and let his friends push him along. "What about you guys?"

"Ryuusei and I can handle the rest." Koyuki finally let go of Mahiru's shoulders to walk beside him. "We'll call you if we find him, okay? And that's not an invitation to check your phone every five seconds! Take a hot bath, eat something, then try to sleep. We'll take care of everything else."

Mahiru just nodded. He didn't feel comfortable abandoning the search for Kuro now, but he had to admit that Koyuki was right. If he kept going, he'd just ruin his health.

That thought didn't keep him from feeling like a traitor as he went home, though.

* * *

What Mahiru didn't notice was the pair of red eyes watching him from the shadows.

Kuro had never been so glad to have his black cat form. He was small, he could sneak around without making a noise or attracting attention, and his dark fur merged with the shadows, rendering him near invisible. This form had enabled him to follow Mahiru around all day without even being noticed.

It felt weird, following Mahiru from the shadows like a stalker. It hurt to watch the boy look for him with such determination, not even caring for the cold or the rain, when he was right there, always close behind. But it was the right thing to do. Kuro knew he had to put some distance between them until they both got over their feelings, and this was the only way he could do it. He couldn't leave entirely, or Mahiru would die. He didn't know how to break the contract. This was the only solution.

There was also another reason why he didn't want to leave, though.

Mahiru was stuck neck-deep in a vampire war. He was too kind for his own good, too bold by half, and a giant idiot. Somebody would have to watch out for him, or he'd get himself killed by Tsubaki and his subclass in no time at all.

Kuro would do just that. He'd protect Mahiru from the shadows, at least until this war was over for good. Then he could always find out how to dissolve the contract and go his own ways, but he wouldn't do that until he knew that Mahiru was safe.

 _And you should get over me,_ he thought. _I'm the wrong choice. You should go and find a human girlfriend and get married and have kids and live a normal, happy life. Don't waste your time with an immortal creature who will still look eighteen when you're ninety-five._

Maybe he'd just wait until he knew for sure that Mahiru had moved on, and then he'd come back. Become part of his family, take care of everyone, watch his children grow up. Maybe he'd make a contract with one of Mahiru's children, and then with their children and grandchildren, and serve many generations of the family like Lily did. A normal, peaceful life with a happy family. Wasn't that what he had always wanted?

Maybe he'd do that someday.

If he could ever handle the pain of seeing Mahiru with someone else, that is.

* * *

At this point, the pattern of the ceiling had probably been burned into Mahiru's memory forever.

He couldn't remember how long he had just been lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling where there was nothing to see, with his phone on the bedside table beside him, trying to sleep but unable to even close his eyes. He had taken a long hot bath, but all he could think of was that Kuro loved hot baths. He had cooked and eaten dinner, but all he could think of was that Kuro would have loved it, and he wondered if he should make another portion, in case the vampire came back. He had tried to distract himself, but all he could think of was Kuro.

The apartment felt cold and empty. Mahiru missed the sound of shuffling feet, the quiet music coming from the vampire's video games, the simple, warm feeling of not being alone.

Where was Kuro now? Was he uncomfortably curled up somewhere, trying to escape from the cold and the rain? Was he hungry? Was he tired? Had anything happened to him? Mahiru was sure that the vampire was lonely. Even if he had run away, he was sure that somewhere, deep inside, Kuro was hoping to be found. He wanted Mahiru to find him and take him back home, even if he wanted everyone to think that the opposite was true. Mahiru could feel it. There was a lot he still didn't know about Kuro, a lot he still didn't understand, but he knew his Servamp well enough to know that he didn't really want to be alone.

And here he was, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling while Kuro needed him.

He jolted upright. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Wasn't he the one who had told Kuro that he could always call his name when he needed him? There was no way Kuro was happy now, all alone somewhere in a dark corner of an empty street.

For a split second Koyuki's warnings resonated in his mind. If he didn't rest enough, he'd get sick for sure...

Shaking his head, he brushed them aside. If he didn't find Kuro, he'd get worried sick.

He jumped up from the bed, threw on some clothes and rushed out of the house.

This time he'd find Kuro. He was sure of it.

* * *

Misono didn't know what to expect when the doorbell rang. All he knew at this point was that he should probably expect the unexpected. Who could possibly turn up at the door so shortly after he had returned from school? All of his friends should be busy, so who was this visitor for and what did they want?

He braced himself for anything and opened the door.

Expecting the unexpected hadn't prepared him for this.

Standing on the other side of the door, looking a bit messy and nervous, bag slung over his shoulder, still wearing his school uniform, was Tetsu.

Misono had half a mind to close the door again. He didn't.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi."

They stared at each other, blushed, smiled awkwardly and looked away.

"What, uh," Misono had no idea what else to say, so he might as well be blunt, "are you doing here?"

That sounded a bit rude, didn't it? Yes, of course it did. Tetsu lived a long way off and he had obviously just walked here, and Misono couldn't even thank him for that.

"Nothing special." Tetsu looked down at his shoes, then gathered his courage and looked back up, meeting Misono's eyes. "I just... after your call today, I just wanted to talk to you again. In person."

Misono could feel the heat returning to his cheeks for what felt like the millionth time today. "Huh?"

"I wanted to see you."

* * *

Dark at last.

Kuro was glad he was finally able to shift back into his true form. The sun was gone, Mahiru was resting at home, and the streets had become so empty that nobody had noticed a black cat transforming into a human. Now he could finally move faster. Now he could fight. Now he could protect Mahiru from anything that might hurt him.

He was cold and hungry, but it wasn't that bad. The cold and the hunger could never kill him. He missed home already, but he'd endure. If it meant protecting Mahiru, he'd endure everything.

The sound of soft steps broke the silence. Kuro jolted in surprise and turned away from the road, staring at a random building. It was most likely just another random passer-by on the way home. In a minute they'd be past, without ever seeing his face. For them, he was probably a random stranger, another unknown silhouette.

The steps came to a halt right behind him. The voice that addressed him sounded familiar.

"Hey... You're Mahiru's Servamp, right?"


	11. Honesty

"Hey... You're Mahiru's Servamp, right?"

Kuro spun around to find himself face to face with Mahiru's friend. The green one, Tsubaki's subclass... what was his name again? Sakuya or something.

He nodded warily, half expecting an attack. Sakuya was an enemy, after all.

"Where's Mahiru?"

He twitched. The one question he didn't want to answer... Did Sakuya _have_ to ask that immediately? It was almost as if he could read Kuro's mind.

His voice fell to subzero temperatures. "Mahiru's safe at home."

"You're out without him?" Sakuya sounded incredulous. "Did he send you outside to go grocery shopping or something?"

Kuro felt his patience slowly crackling away and bit down on his surging temper. "That's none of your business," he snapped.

"Mahiru's my friend," Sakuya shot back. "That makes it my business."

Kuro looked at him. This boy cared about Mahiru as much as he did, and he had left him for much the same reasons. Maybe he would understand... He wanted to talk about everything. He wanted to tell someone who understood, he wanted to stop dragging all these emotions around and share them with someone like-minded and get advice.

Maybe Sakuya would understand. Hopefully.

"All right," Kuro said, "I'll tell you."

And he told Sakuya everything. The fake dating gambit, the kiss, the misunderstandings, his fears, his worries, Mahiru's confession and his escape. He spoke about his fear of hurting the boy, his fear of getting too attached to a mortal, his hope that Mahiru would move on and live a normal life.

Sakuya listened and said nothing.

His eyes darkened with every word Kuro said.

Kuro finished and looked at him, almost questioningly, hoping to get some kind of response. There was none.

Sakuya's hands were shaking.

"You bastard," he hissed at last.

Kuro blinked in surprise. Bastard? Yes, he knew he was one. But why did Sakuya call him one? Didn't he understand?

"You're saying that Mahiru confessed to you... and you like him back... and yet you rejected him and ran away?" Sakuya clenched his teeth. "Pathetic."

"It was the best for Mahiru," Kuro tried to defend himself. "I thought you'd understand."

"I'm different." Cold anger flickered in Sakuya's eyes. "I'm Tsubaki's subclass. I'm Mahiru's enemy. You're his Servamp, his partner! You don't have anybody else you can't betray! And you still ran away?"

Kuro's voice sank to a low growl, the voice of a century-old monster slowly awakening in its human shell. "You're barely older than a few decades. You have no idea how it's like... to make the wrong decision. To be responsible for something horrible and regret it for centuries. You have no right to tell me I ran away. I'd rather run away than be responsible for anything that happens to Mahiru."

"You're breaking his heart!" Sakuya snapped. "I'd count that as 'something happening to him'!"

"He'll get over it."

"But what if he doesn't?" Sakuya's voice was trembling with rage, his eyes aflame, his fists clenched. "What if he never gets over it? You say that he should marry some girl later and have kids, but what if he only ever sees that girl as a replacement goldfish for you, the guy who loved him back but lied through his teeth because he was _too chicken to start a relationship!_ "

Sakuya's entire body was trembling with rage. He was breathing hard, trying to calm himself down, but it didn't work. His heartbeat pounded in his head. Anger, disappointment, jealousy roared through his veins.

Kuro met his eyes with a look of betrayal. "Would you get close to someone who will definitely die someday? Could you handle the loss after dedicating everything to that person? Do you know how it's like to get too attached to someone and then lose them?"

"I know!" Sakuya hissed. "I've been through it myself. Don't get all haughty just because you happen to be a few centuries older!" He paused a few seconds to catch his breath. "Stop lying in my face, bastard. All of those reasons... they're not the real reason why you left Mahiru, right? They're just cheap excuses!"

"I'm a monster!" Kuro growled, his voice losing the last bit of humanity. "I'm a killer, even if he keeps forgetting about that. He sees me as a human when I'm not. Once he finds out who I am on the inside... what I've done... how many lives I've taken..."

"Mahiru's not that kind of guy!"

Sakuya's voice cut through the quiet night air, resonated from the buildings, echoed down the street. A few startled crows flew up, cawing loudly. Kuro wished he could fly with them.

Sakuya's eyes were burning with white-hot anger. "Mahiru would never judge you for who you are," he snapped. "I'd been lying to him, pretending to be a human, and did he turn away from me when I turned out to be a vampire _and_ your enemy? No! He reached out to me and promised me we'd still be friends! And you're not nearly that bad. He already knows you're a vampire. He knows you're on his side. He already knows some of your past, for crying out loud! Did it scare him? Of course not! The only one judging you for your past is yourself!"

Kuro gasped softly. The only one... was himself...? That sounded too good to be true... that sounded...

"Why are you telling me all of this?" he asked. "Why do you care if Mahiru and I get together?"

"Because Mahiru's my friend, and you're hurting him and I can't accept that!"

Kuro just stared at him, unsure what to say. Should he shut him down? Should he thank him? Should he leave?

"So don't you dare cover up your commitment issues with some lies about your fear of hurting Mahiru. The one you're afraid of hurting is yourself. None but yourself, you lying bastard!"

Sakuya turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps and turned around again. "Oh, and one more thing. If you treat him wrong, I'll kill ya. Servamp or no, I'll kill ya."

He turned around again and disappeared into the night.

Kuro stared after him, perplexed. Sakuya's words made sense... so much sense. Maybe it was that he secretly wanted them to make sense, but everything seemed so logical. He hated to admit it, but... maybe Sakuya was right.

In any case, he owed Mahiru an explanation.

For the first time today he knew where to go. For the first time today he began to move with a sense of purpose, a sense of direction.

Mahiru's house.

* * *

Misono stared at Tetsu, his face probably glowing red, his mind blank, desperately trying to make sense of the boy's words. "You... wanted... to see me?"

"Um, yeah?" Tetsu scratched the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable with the entire situation. "That's fine, isn't it?"

"Sure, but..." Misono didn't even know what he was trying to say. All he knew was that the task of figuring out the bizarre situation he had just found himself in was too much for his brain.

He let Tetsu in, and there was a long, awkward silence.

"So," Misono finally said, more for the sake of saying something than anything else, "what do you want to do now?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing? Did you just come here with no idea what you want to do?"

"Well," Tetsu blushed and smiled a little, "all I knew was that I wanted to see you... I'm fine with not doing anything as long as you're here, y'know?"

Misono could feel the blood rushing to his face, making it glow red, faster and brighter than ever before. "Wh-What are you talking about?" he snapped. "You're not making sense again!"

"When you really like someone, sometimes you just want to be near them without doing anything." Tetsu's voice was quiet but firm, with no sign of doubt or hesitation. "Have you never just... thought of someone and wanted to be with that person _right now_ , for no reason at all? I've been feeling like that all day, ever since you called."

The feeling of wanting to be close someone... wanting to see someone, to just be near them... Misono knew it. Of course he did.

He couldn't believe Tetsu was feeling like that about him. He couldn't believe Tetsu would tell him about it so honestly. Why was he so straightforward about his emotions? He didn't even know if Misono liked him back!

Flushing, burning embarrassment and a giddy, warm happiness fought a raging battle in his heart. What was this feeling? What was he supposed to do now? What did he _want_ to do?

 _What the hell was this feeling?_

Tetsu liked him... no, he corrected himself, he was in love with him. That had been clear from the very beginning. Misono had never really doubted Tetsu's feelings, had had simply panicked at the prospect of a relationship, despite clearly liking Tetsu back.

He was such a chicken.

He had been stupid to run away, so stupid to half reject Tetsu and keep him guessing. He had been dragged along at the boy's pace, unsure of what he wanted, what he should do. He had been indecisive, weak and selfish. But not anymore.

He looked into Tetsu's eyes and saw nothing but love in them.

And suddenly he knew exactly what to do.

"Tetsu... Come over here."

The boy's eyes widened a little, but he did as he was told. "What's up?"

Misono stepped even closer to him. Only a few inches separated them now. Trying to ignore the way his heart raced and his stomach fluttered, he looked up. "Lean down a little, you giant. You're too damn tall!"

Tetsu blushed visibly. Maybe he was just flustered by Misono's sudden boldness, maybe he had an idea of what was about to happen, even he himself wasn't sure. One way or another, he leaned forward.

Misono cupped his face in his hands and kissed him.

It wasn't a fairytale kiss. It was awkward and clumsy, and their teeth clicked against each other a few times too often, but they didn't care. It was their first kiss, and for them, it was perfect.

They were both flushed and breathless when they parted, and Tetsu stared at Misono in amazement. He moved his lips, trying to say something, but the only thing that came out was, "Huh?"

Misono was torn between embarrassment and pride. What he had just done seemed rash now, foolish even, but he couldn't care less. He had overcome his own limitations and achieved the impossible. A wide smile spread across his face as he said, "This was my answer. You've been trying to convince me that your feelings are real, and I believe you."

Tetsu's eyes widened even more. A hopeful smile crossed his face. His hands reached for Misono's hands, carefully, like they were something very precious that he wasn't sure he was allowed to touch.

"Does that mean... Does that mean we're official now?"

Misono smiled as he moved in for another kiss. "Precisely."

* * *

"Kuro!" Mahiru's voice was getting hoarse from shouting, but he didn't care. He kept calling. "Kuro! Are you there?"

There was no answer. Again.

Mahiru had been running around for at least an hour. Hope was slowly starting to leave him, but he kept holding on. He couldn't turn his back and go home as long as Kuro was still out there, somewhere, and possibly needed him.

The streets had gone silent. Next to nobody was outside anymore. The only noise were his steps echoing down the road and his voice calling Kuro's name, over and over again.

Mahiru was cold and tired. There was no sign of Kuro. He had probably looked down every street within a three-mile radius twice. He had no idea where he even was right now. Was he close to his home? Was he running around in circles? Where was he?

Where was Kuro? Was he around here somewhere? Could he hear him?

Fears and worries began to creep up on him from behind, weighing down on his mind and shoulders, making him feel even more lost and helpless. Kuro was gone and didn't want to be found. He didn't know where he was or how to get home.

It was hopeless.

Mahiru shook his head, trying to keep these gloomy thoughts out of his head. His throat was starting to hurt horribly, but just this once, he'd try calling again. One last time. If he didn't get an answer then, maybe he'd try to find his way home.

"Kuro!" he called, desperately, pleading. "Where are you? Why won't you stop hiding? Kuro!"

He listened intently.

And this time he finally heard something.

It was the faint, distant sound of a bell ringing.

Mahiru started to run. He didn't care about his surroundings, didn't care what was happening around him or where he was going. All his senses were focused on the sound of the bell, the small string of hope he had left.

Little by little, the sound grew clearer, closer. Mahiru picked up his speed, rushing down the street, crossing another, dashing round the corner, following the bell as fast as he could. He could hardly breathe, but it didn't matter. He couldn't take a break now. Not now that he had finally found a clue.

He didn't see the headlights approaching him until it was too late.

Mahiru was running too fast to stop. The car rushed down the street at a deadly speed, catching him in the headlights as he turned to face the roaring engine, too fast to stop in time, too slow to cross the street before the car reached him. There was the deafening screech of brakes, the heat of the motor. Mahiru closed his eyes and braced himself for the crash.

The crash never happened.

Instead, he found himself lifted up by a pair of strong arms and carried through the air.

Mahiru stumbled as his feet touched solid ground again a few seconds later. His rescuer's arms steadied him and continued to hold him tightly, even as they were safe in some place the car couldn't reach. Mahiru buried his face in the stranger's jacket.

It smelled familiar.

It smelled exactly like his own fabric softener.

"What a pain," a familiar voice said. "Can't you go one day without nearly getting yourself killed? This is exactly why I can't leave you alone."

This couldn't be. This voice...

Mahiru opened his eyes and looked up. It was true.

"Kuro!" he gasped. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

The vampire stared off into the distance. "Here and there."

Mahiru tried to meet his gaze again, but it was impossible. "Kuro, look at me! Why did you run away?"

Letting go of Mahiru, Kuro took a step back. "It's a long story," he said quietly.

"I've got time." Mahiru took a look around. The vampire had carried him onto a roof, high above the city lights. "It's not like anybody will disturb us here, right?"

Kuro's eyes darkened. "Why did you even come looking for me in the first place?"

"Isn't it obvious? Because I love you!"

Kuro's eyes widened. Startled by Mahiru's declaration, he stared at the boy, unable to say a word. Even after everything he had done, Mahiru hadn't changed his mind in the slightest. His voice still showed no sign of hesitation. If anything, he had even become more firm in his emotions.

 _Why?_

"I love you, Kuro," Mahiru continued. "This probably isn't something you like to hear, seeing as you don't like me back. It's just... I was so worried when you suddenly disappeared. And... I missed you. What am I supposed to do when you're not around? The apartment seemed so... empty all of a sudden. It's not the same without you."

He took a step forward, reaching for Kuro's hands. "I want to spend time with you, Kuro," he said softly. "I want to spend hours sitting next to you and talking about stuff neither of us cares about. I want to laugh at lame jokes with you, just because we're the ones who made them. I want to spend rainy afternoons with you, curled up on the couch and marathoning bad movies. I want to look at the stars with you and show you all the constellations that remind me of you. I want to tell you all my secrets and listen to some of yours, if you don't mind telling me. I want to hold your hand and feel you next to me and get to know you so much better and see all the expressions you don't show anyone else. I'd like to see you smile someday. I'd love to hear what your laugh sounds like. I just... want to be together with you." He smiled sadly. "Of course, if you don't like me back, then all of those will have to stay dreams and I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable by telling you all that. That's just how I feel."

Kuro remained silent for a moment. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs, but his hands were trembling slightly, almost unnoticeably. "I'm not cut out for that," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "You wouldn't actually want to do all that with me."

Mahiru looked up, trying to look Kuro in the eyes. "Why not?"

The vampire turned away. "Stop treating me like a human," he hissed, his voice cold but filled with vulnerability and emotion. "I'm a monster. I could hurt you or kill you anytime. I've done it before."

"You never tried to kill _me_." Mahiru walked around so Kuro was facing him again. "You've always protected me."

"For the past few months," Kuro corrected him. "That's how long we've known each other. It's not much." He paused, gazing down at the empty street below. "You never know what might happen... when I might lose it and go berserk. I might not even do it by accident. What if I was trying to kill someone else and you jumped in and tried to stop me? You'd be stupid enough to do that."

Mahiru looked at him, confusion written all over his face. "That could always happen, even as normal contract partners, right? It's got nothing to do with you and me dating or not dating-" He stopped, a realization hitting him full force. "You... You're not trying to say that we should break the contract, right?"

"No." Kuro's voice was completely devoid of hesitation, and Mahiru relaxed. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't get too close to me. It's like playing with fire. Mahiru, it's my job to protect you and I'm doing that by telling you to stay away. Anything else... would just be selfish."

"Then _I'll_ be selfish!"

Kuro raised his head, shocked by Mahiru's sudden outburst. The boy clenched his fists, breathing heavily, his voice trembling with anger and hope, his eyes ablaze with determination. "I don't care that you're a monster! I'm not afraid of you. If your only problem is that you'd blame yourself if anything happened to me because we got too close, you can blame me if that helps! Just say it's all my fault! It's that simple!"

"...I can't."

Mahiru blinked, taken aback. Kuro's voice was audibly shaking. Mahiru's words had obviously moved him, and yet... "Why?"

Kuro couldn't bear to look at the boy. He could feel his defenses crumbling. His words made everything seem so simple... and yet... and yet...

He couldn't get too close. He knew that.

And Mahiru deserved to know why. He owed him that much.

Honesty had never been his forte. The next few words would be the most difficult ones he had ever said. Wasn't there another way, some kind of excuse...

Sakuya's words resonated in his mind. _Lying bastard!_

Screw it all.

Just this once, he'd be completely honest.

"I can't get too close," he said quietly, staring off into nowhere, avoiding Mahiru's gaze, trying not to look at those stupid perfect brown eyes that could pierce through his century-old defenses in an instant. "You're mortal. Someday I'm gonna lose you. If I got too close to you and then suddenly lost you... I couldn't bear that. I need to become indifferent again so it won't hurt me when I lose you."

Mahiru looked up, stunned, tears blurring his vision. Millions of different emotions shot through him, all at the same time. Kuro did love him back. His feelings had never been one-sided. His Servamp had been lying to him because he loved him too much. Everything that had ever confused him suddenly made sense. All the missing puzzle pieces clicked into place, leaving a picture of nothing but hope.

"So you do... you do like me," he whispered, barely believing his own words. "And you were just... afraid of getting too close? Afraid of hurting me or losing me? Is that it?" He laughed, ignoring the single tear that made its way down his face. "Kuro, you idiot! Why didn't you explain everything to me? I would've encouraged you earlier. Didn't I tell you that you can always call my name when you need help? And you suffered all by yourself..."

Kuro tried not to let Mahiru's words get to him. He tried to ignore the feeling of warmth and happiness and relief and overwhelming sadness that tried to tear him apart from inside. _Mustn't get too attached,_ he repeated in his head, almost like a mantra. _Mustn't get too attached._

Mahiru reached for his hand. "I understand your fears, but Kuro... If I died someday, and you were left without me, wouldn't you regret not spending the time we had together in the best possible way? If you were left without memories, if all you had was might-have-beens... wouldn't you regret that way more?"

Kuro was silent.

"I know I would," Mahiru continued. "I want to make as many memories as possible. If you don't mind."

Kuro continued to stare at the horizon. "Wouldn't you mind dating someone who'll still look eighteen when you're eighty-one?"

"No."

Mahiru's answer was so simple. So sincere. So... _Mahiru_.

Kuro clenched his fists. He wouldn't cave. He couldn't cave. Maybe he'd regret not making memories with Mahiru, but he'd regret getting too close to the boy much more. At least, that was what he kept telling himself to silence his heart, which was practically screaming to drop the act and do what he truly wished for, yearning for everything Mahiru was so willing to offer.

"As for me being mortal... We'll figure something out when the time comes." Mahiru sounded almost unsettlingly calm. "If everything else fails, you could still turn me into your subclass, right?"

 _Stop it,_ Kuro thought. _Stop making everything sound so easy. I can't do this, don't you understand? Stop tempting me._

"I can't create any more monsters," he answered, bitterness lying heavy in every single one of his words. "Most of all, I can't turn _you_ into a monster."

Mahiru just smiled, not the smile that could make Kuro's world stop spinning, but a small, surprised smile. "Vampires aren't monsters. You're the living proof of that, right?"

The last sentence pierced Kuro's soul, stabbed him in the heart and left him to bleed. "No," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I've done. You'd hate me if you did. Like all the others."

He didn't want to talk to Mahiru anymore. He didn't want to listen to this foolish, optimistic voice that made everything sound so easy. He couldn't cave now, for both their sakes. Yet still... he was so close to caving. Mahiru had spoken against all his fears, except for this one. Mahiru had encouraged him and comforted him and he was dangerously close to giving in and following his heart, doing what he wanted, no matter the consequences.

He couldn't risk that.

"Kuro, I'd never-"

"Never mind. I'm leaving."

He felt like a traitor for saying that. Hadn't he promised himself to talk to Mahiru properly, to explain everything? Hadn't he vowed not to put up a front anymore? Hadn't he decided to never allow himself to hurt him again?

"Kuro, listen to me!" Mahiru's voice was desperate, pleading, confused. The boy reached for Kuro's hand and caught it just as the vampire was about to fly away. "I'd never hate you, no matter what you've done in the past! Hell, I already know some of that, don't I? And I still don't hate you!"

 _Don't listen to him. Don't listen to him._

Kuro tried to free himself of the boy's grip. It was made of iron, but the vampire was stronger. He pulled away, ready to jump into the night and disappear.

"Kuro!" Mahiru screamed after him, his voice cutting through the night, echoing down the silent streets, resonating from the walls of the city below them. "Someone like you who's trying so hard to do the right thing can't _possibly_ be a monster!"

Kuro froze.

Mahiru's words echoed through his head, over and over, like a broken record. _Someone like you who's trying so hard to do the right thing can't possibly be a monster!_

The words he had longed to hear all his life... for so many lonely centuries, so many guilt-ridden hours hiding in dark corners. And Mahiru had just said them like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The last remains of his defenses came crashing down. Screw his worries and screw his fears. Here was the boy who offered him everything he had ever wanted, the boy who loved and accepted him for who he was, and he wouldn't turn away. Maybe he really was better than he thought he was.

One way or another, he was no longer alone.

He turned around to face Mahiru. Tears welled up in his eyes, and just this once he didn't force them back. For the first time in so many centuries, he let them flow freely.

He would try not to hide his feelings so much anymore. He would try to become more honest, more sincere, more like Mahiru saw him. He'd open up and take the dive into uncharted land. Maybe he'd get burned, but Mahiru was right. It was worth trying.

"Thank you, Mahiru," he said, sobbing quietly, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Thank you."

Mahiru's eyes filled with tears too, but he smiled. It was the warmest, kindest, most hopeful smile Kuro had ever seen, and he wished he could take a picture of it and treasure it forever. The boy walked over to Kuro, reached out and wiped a tear from his face.

"It's fine, Kuro," he said softly. "It's all right now."

Kuro silently pulled him into a tight hug and buried his face in the boy's shoulder, wishing to stay like this forever, wishing the world would stop and he'd never have to let go again.

"Kuro?" Mahiru whispered in his ear, so softly that even the wind couldn't hear his voice. "Does that mean that you're going to try it? Dating, I mean."

The vampire nodded, his face still buried in Mahiru's shoulder.

"Then promise me something."

Mahiru pulled away slightly, just enough so Kuro lifted his head again and looked him in the eyes. "Promise me that if you ever worry about something, or have doubts, or feel that you're not good enough, you'll talk to me about it. Don't ever leave me again like that, okay? Don't suffer alone. Tell me anything that bothers you. Can you promise me that?"

The vampire hesitated, but only for a second. "Yes."

"Good. Then," Mahiru moved in again, tracing the tear stains on Kuro's face with his fingers, "let's seal it with a kiss."


	12. Our Fairy Tale

Kuro woke up in his room. It was already bright outside, the clouds were gone, and the rays of the sun drew patterns on the wall next to him. A bird was singing somewhere. It was a peaceful, happy morning, just like so many mornings before.

What was he doing here?

If he had run away yesterday, how had he come back to this place?

One by one, the memories came flooding back. The meeting with Sakuya... Mahiru's confession... their promise... the kiss... On this bright, happy, _normal_ morning, it almost seemed like a dream.

 _Had_ it been a dream? And if so, how much of it was real?

Kuro was distracted by a soft voice mumbling something unintelligible into the pillow. A warm hand found his wrist and closed gently around it. He looked up to see Mahiru lying half-asleep in his bed, face buried in his pillow, one arm dangling down and holding Kuro's hand.

The boy turned around, blinked a few times and yawned. "Oh, Kuro, you're already awake? That's rare." He smiled. "Good morning."

Kuro would have liked to say something in return, but he was much too distracted by Mahiru's warm smile and the fact that the boy still didn't let go of his hand while awake to think of any words that vaguely made sense.

So it hadn't been a dream, after all. He and Mahiru were... _dating_.

After everything they had gone through, all the fears, all the misunderstandings, all the worries, they were actually, truly, finally a couple. It seemed surreal, to say the least. Kuro had wished for all this for so long that he still couldn't believe it was no longer a dream.

Mahiru sat upright, stretched, got up and walked over to the door. "Man, I'm starving," he said, looking over his shoulder to face Kuro. "Come on, let's get breakfast. Does that sound good?"

Kuro nodded and followed him to the kitchen in a daze.

How could Mahiru act so normal? Kuro's entire world had just been turned upside down overnight and his Eve - no, his _boyfriend_ , he reminded himself again - just kept going like nothing had happened. Didn't he have any trouble getting used to things? Had he just accepted the change like it was no big deal?

Sometimes Kuro wondered if it wasn't actually Mahiru who had supernatural powers.

"Kuro, what are you doing?" Mahiru waved a hand in front of his face. "You were kind of spacing out. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The vampire shook his head to get rid of the hazy feeling around him. _Act normal,_ he told himself. _This is real. You're not dreaming._

Mahiru frowned slightly and took a step forward. Their faces were only inches apart now. Kuro swallowed. _Too close._

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Mahiru didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that he could probably feel the vampire's breath on his skin. "Remember what you promised me. If there's anything wrong you should tell me, you know?"

"No, it's... it's really nothing." Kuro took a step back, bringing some distance between himself and that flawless, wonderful face. "I'm just still getting used to this whole... thing."

Mahiru burst out laughing. "Thing, yeah," he said. "That _is_ pretty weird though, right? I mean, we spent ages pining for each other and now we're a couple, it's almost too good to be true. And normally people start dating and move in together afterwards! We did it the other way around..."

He stopped laughing, a realization dawning on his face. "Actually... what do couples even do?"

Kuro stared at him like he had just talked to him in some obscure language that was only spoken by around three people in the Amazon rainforest. "Huh?"

"I mean... are we supposed to go on dates or something? Treat each other differently? Aside from the kissing and holding hands and stuff, you know."

Kuro shrugged. "I dunno. Actually, that question sounded kind of familiar."

"Shut up! Back then we were acting! That was totally different!"

"We still don't know more though."

"No." Mahiru stared at some point at the wall, thinking. "I know! Why don't we just try to figure things out for ourselves? Let's go on a date tonight."

A real date with Mahiru... Kuro felt his heartbeat pounding through his body, racing at a mile a minute, excitement rushing through his veins. _Gotta act normal,_ he reminded himself again. _Act normal. Try not to act like a lovestruck idiot._

"Do we have to go outside? That's so exhausting... Can't deal."

"Geez, Kuro! This is our very first date! We want this to be memorable, right? We can't just spend our first date hanging around on the couch and watching movies!"

Kuro let out a long-suffering sigh. "If you insist. What a pain..."

On the inside, however, he was itching to go.

* * *

"Finally!"

"It was about time you got together! Misono, I'm so proud of you!"

As soon as Misono heard their voices, he instantly knew two things.

One, he was about to die of embarrassment.

Two, he really should have locked the door.

He couldn't believe Lily and Hugh had just caught him kissing Tetsu. Why, oh, why hadn't he thought about the possibility that Hugh might have accompanied Tetsu to school like Kuro accompanied Shirota? And accompanied him here in his bag? And why hadn't he thought about Lily knowing everything he wasn't supposed to know and popping in at the worst possible moment like he always did?

But, most importantly...

"What the hell?" he yelled as soon as his voice returned from its temporary shock-induced exile. "What are you guys doing here, spying on people? Have you ever heard of personal space?"

Lily laughed nervously. "Well, Misono, maybe you should have locked the door..."

"I know that myself! You should've just seen that we want some privacy and left quietly!"

As soon as he had uttered the words, he knew that they had been a mistake. Lily's smile turned even wider at the word "privacy," and Hugh snickered but quickly covered it up with a fake cough.

Misono really, really wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground and disappear.

He looked at Tetsu, who seemed almost infuriatingly calm except for the glowing red color of his cheeks. The boy ran a hand through his hair, glanced from one Servamp at the other and was obviously still trying to figure out how to deal with this entire situation.

"Hey," he finally whispered, leaning over to Misono, "actually, wouldn't this be a good moment to announce we're official? I mean, they already know it anyway, but still..."

"I was planning to do that when I was ready," Misono hissed back, "and in a less awkward situation. But fine."

He cleared his throat, straightened his back, tried to ignore the nagging embarrassment that was still refusing to leave, and reached for Tetsu's hand. "Starting today, Tetsu and I are officially dating. You may now congratulate us."

* * *

Kuro didn't quite get why Mahiru would refuse to watch movies on the couch at home but drag him across the town to do the exact same thing in a pair of movie theater seats, but maybe that wasn't the point.

The most important thing was that they were a couple, and this was their very first date.

Kuro knew Mahiru had been considerate when choosing this place. He had been the one to insist on going outside, but he also knew how much Kuro hated doing just that, so he had deliberately picked a place where Kuro would still get to relax and be lazy while it was still more memorable than staying at home.

At least, that was what Kuro supposed, knowing Mahiru. Maybe he was reading too much into things, but it was a pleasant thought. And it _was_ a very Mahiru-like thing to do, after all. Sometimes Kuro wondered where his Eve got all his kindness from, and how much more of that kindness he could take before melting into a flustered but very happy puddle of goo.

They had been holding hands for the entire way. Kuro could see people staring at them and whispering, but neither of them cared. They were happy together, and that was all that mattered. Tonight nobody was important, except for the two of them.

"Hey, Mahiru!"

They spun around to find Ryuusei and Koyuki hurrying towards them, eyes wide with surprise.

Kuro let out a soft sigh. Great. So much for privacy and some time alone.

Mahiru seemed just as surprised as his two friends. "You guys-" was as far as he got before being stormed with questions?

"Why weren't you at school today? We were worried about you! We thought you were sick or something!"

"True, Mommy was this close to calling the cops to search for you! So, did ya find your runaway cat?"

Mahiru peered at Kuro, who was resting his head on his Eve's shoulder while staring coldly at Ryuusei and Koyuki, and couldn't help cracking a grin. "Yeah, I did."

"Where was he?" his friends asked in unison.

"Well..." The rooftop conversation flashed through Mahiru's mind on fast forward as he wondered what to say. Should he lie? Could he even make up a credible story on the spot? "Um..." Whatever. Just go for part of the truth. "He kind of... kept changing his hiding spots all day because he thought he'd done something wrong and was trying to avoid me. But then I got lost and he came back when I needed help, and then I comforted him and showed him it was alright. Now he's back where he belongs."

Mahiru couldn't help the fond smile that crossed his face any more than the blush heating up his cheeks. He squeezed Kuro's hand and gently stroked it with his thumb, feeling every detail of his skin, every vein, every bone, every scratch.

Koyuki and Ryuusei looked at him, then at each other, oblivious to the meaning behind his expression but knowing that there was something going on that he wasn't telling them about. Finally Ryuusei spoke up. "By the way, um," he pointed to Kuro, "who's this?"

Mahiru smiled. "That's Kuro," he said. "He's my, uh..."

His what? Boyfriend? Was he even allowed to say that? Would Kuro mind him telling people about that?

"We're dating," Kuro finished the sentence, his voice seemingly calm but filled with a cold threat. _Back off,_ his tone said. _I'm closer to him than you are, and we're trying to make this a date, so don't you interrupt our time together._

Ryuusei and Koyuki swallowed and grinned awkwardly. "Oh, I see," Koyuki said hurriedly, "then I guess we'll head off and give you two some privacy. Right, Ryuu?"

"Right!" Ryuusei nodded. "We're supposed to meet up with Nanako-chan anyway."

Mahiru looked from one to the other in confusion. "Um, who's Nanako-chan?"

They pointed at a girl who had just walked in through the door. Mahiru blinked, stared and blinked again. There was no mistaking her.

"Suzuhara?" he blurted out, realized what Ryuusei had just said and added, "F-First name basis?! What happened between you guys?"

"Not much," Koyuki said, laughing. "We'll tell you everything when you have time, okay? See you at school!"

"See ya!" Ryuusei added, and they both left.

Mahiru watched as they met up with Suzuhara, laughing and talking and smiling and obviously getting along. Even from this distance he could tell that Ryuusei was very much in love with his classmate, and from what he observed the girl probably returned his feelings. Good, they would all be fine.

Suzuhara's eyes met his, and she smiled and waved. He smiled and waved back. There really was no need to worry about her anymore. She was over him, and she was happy.

"I just wonder why the guys were in such a hurry," he mused. "Were they scared of you or something?"

Kuro replaced his dagger-glaring eyes of death with his default bored expression just as Mahiru turned around. "Don't have a clue."

* * *

Neither of them could focus on the movie. Kuro was much more interested in the bucket of popcorn between them, and Mahiru was very busy trying to get his share before the vampire could eat all of it.

"Geez, Kuro!" he whisper-shouted. "You just had a giant handful, why are you grabbing another one already? I want some popcorn too you know!"

"Then you gotta eat faster," Kuro munched through a mouthful of popcorn. "It's not my fault that your hands are so tiny."

"They're not tiny! I'm just shorter than you! Smaller people have smaller hands!"

Kuro grabbed one of his hands and placed his own against it. The vampire's fingers were a good deal longer. "Yup, tiny hands all right."

Mahiru felt his face heating up. Dammit, he still wasn't used to this. Kuro suddenly taking his hand like that... why did it make him so flustered? Neither of them had been shy about physical contact before. But before... before, it hadn't _meant_ anything.

It did now.

Mahiru smiled and laced his fingers with Kuro's, taking delight in the flush of pink spreading on the vampire's cheeks. "I have an idea," he whispered, leaning closer. "If you're that hungry, why don't I feed you?"

The color of Kuro's face changed from pink to red. "No need."

"Really?" Mahiru picked up some popcorn and held it out in front of Kuro's mouth. "Here, let's just try it."

Kuro blushed an even darker shade of red. "With those tiny hands of yours, eating all that popcorn's gonna take forever," he mumbled, staring at some unspecified point at the wall behind Mahiru. "But I guess we can try it if you really want."

He swallowed hard, opened his mouth and let Mahiru feed him the handful of popcorn.

Mahiru pulled his hand away like Kuro's mouth was on fire. Kuro choked on the popcorn and started coughing. Both of them turned away from each other, their faces bright red, trying to keep their racing heartbeats in check. Mahiru looked at his fingers in disbelief. How had he just managed to be this bold? The feeling of his fingers brushing Kuro's lips was enough to send him on a roller-coaster ride made of embarrassment and adrenaline. It felt wonderful... but the feeling knocked him off his feet.

Yes, they definitely still needed to get used to this.

They continued to watch the movie in silence, neither having a clue what was going on because they had missed the beginning and not really caring about it anyway. The bucket of popcorn grew more and more empty. Sometimes they both reached for a new handful at the same time and flinched away when their fingers brushed.

Kuro started to yawn as soon as they ran out of popcorn. At first they were just occasional yawns, but soon he was yawning every two minutes, his head kept falling down on his chest, and it was obvious that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Soon it looked like he was about to fall out of his seat the next time he closed his eyes, faceplant the floor and just continue to sleep there.

Mahiru turned to face him. "Are you tired?"

The vampire's answer was another big yawn. "The movie's boring."

"It kind of is." Mahiru couldn't help chuckling. "You can sleep if you really want to."

"Aren't you gonna get mad about me falling asleep on our first-" Kuro was interrupted by another yawn - "our first date?"

Another idea popped up in Mahiru's head. Maybe he was being too bold again, but he wanted to get used to them being this close. He didn't want to stop trying just because he had underestimated the awkwardness the first time around.

"You can rest your head on my shoulder if you want to sleep."

Kuro blinked, wide awake in a split second. "Huh?"

Mahiru was sure he was blushing again, but he continued. They had already _kissed_ for crying out loud. Twice. "I'm sure it's more comfortable that way."

How hard could this possibly be?

Kuro muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Doesn't look very comfy to me," tried to hide his blush, and leaned over to the side to put his head on Mahiru's shoulder.

Mahiru wrapped an arm around him and closed his eyes, focusing solely on the comfortable weight of Kuro leaning against his side, the strands of hair tickling his neck, the vampire's gentle breath on his skin, the soft warmth that spread from his side throughout his whole body. Smiling to himself, he ran his fingers through Kuro's hair, marveling at how soft it was and how much it felt like cat fur.

"Remember when we did this the other way around?" he muttered close to his Servamp's ear.

"Mmm," came the drowsy reply. "Seems like ages ago."

"I had no idea that this feels so good," Mahiru said quietly. "It's really great to have the one you love leaning on you like this. Did you feel the same way back then, Kuro?"

There was no answer. The vampire had fallen asleep.

Mahiru continued to watch him with a gentle smile on his face. Kuro looked so relaxed now, so peaceful. All worries and exhaustion had vanished from his face, leaving only an expression of calm happiness behind. Centuries seemed to have fallen off him and disappeared. Kuro shifted slightly as he moved through some dream only he would know about and no one would remember.

Mahiru hoped it was a good dream.

No, it definitely was. The vampire had never looked so happy before. Actually - maybe he really hadn't been this happy before. Ever. In all his long, century-old life.

Well, it was only about to get better from now on.

This was only the beginning.

* * *

They walked home hand in hand, unaware of the figure watching them from the shadows.

Sakuya had to admit, he had been worried. Not about Kuro - whatever the hell that Servamp did was none of his business. He hadn't been worried about his predictions being wrong and Mahiru backing away from the vampire either. A very deep, dark, disgusting part of his soul had even _hoped_ it would happen. After all, that Servamp did have a point. Dating a vampire was dangerous.

No, what he had been worried about was Kuro being too cowardly to talk to Mahiru properly. Kuro backing out and breaking Mahiru's heart even more than he already had, or Kuro messing up the confession and ruining everything there was to ruin, including Mahiru's hopes and dreams. His friend deserved better than that, so much better. And he just wanted to make sure that he got what he deserved.

Well, it looked like it had all worked out for them in the end.

Sakuya knew he should be happy for his friend. He _tried_ to be happy, he really did, but the happiness only came with something else.

Damn it, he had even gone so far and played the stupid fairy godmother for those two lovebirds, just to make sure Mahiru was happy. So what was this pang of... _something_ he couldn't quite lay his finger on, let alone understand? Why did he feel like he had just lost his best friend again?

What was so great about that Servamp, anyway?

 _No, stop._ He couldn't start thinking about that now. Mahiru knew that guy better than he did. If Mahiru loved Kuro, then he probably deserved it.

Still, he couldn't help feeling a little alone.

"Sakuyaaaa, how much longer are you gonna keep staring down the street? Tsubakyun's gonna get impatieeent!"

"Please be careful, Beru. You'll drop your ice cream if you keep moving around like that."

"Let's go already! We're keeping the young master waiting!"

"Did anybody say 'ice cream'? Did you buy me a portion too? You're not out having fun without inviting me first, are you?"

"T- _Tsubakyun?!_ How long have you been here?"

Sakuya turned around to face everyone. His friends... no, his family. His completely and utterly ridiculous, lovable family.

Who was he kidding. He wasn't alone.

He had never been alone.

Sakuya couldn't help cracking a grin as he took a step towards the others. "Let's go."

* * *

Mahiru stopped in front of the family restaurant's entrance and extended his hand. "Are you ready?"

Kuro grabbed Mahiru's hand and nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright, then let's go! One, two-" Mahiru took a step forward, only to find that Kuro hadn't moved an inch.

"What are you _doing?_ " he huffed. "Don't just stand there like you've just grown roots or something!"

Kuro just gave him a blank stare. "I thought you were gonna count to three before starting. Y'know, like normal people."

"For crying out loud! Between the two of us, you're definitely _less_ normal!" Mahiru let out an irritated sigh. "Geez, Kuro, at least _try_ to take this seriously, will you? We're trying to tell everyone something important!"

He turned and waved awkwardly at their friends, who had been watching the entire scene with a look of increasing confusion on their faces. "Come on, I'll count to three, and then we'll both go inside. Okay? One - two - three!"

They both stumbled inside and made their way over to the others. Lily was smiling from ear to ear; he had obviously figured out what was going on. Hugh gave them a look that mostly consisted of curiosity but was still much too knowing to be pleasant. Misono and Tetsu seemed happily oblivious.

"So," Misono said, folding his arms, "what exactly is it you two are trying to do?"

"We have something important to tell you." A proud smile spread over Mahiru's face as he continued, "Kuro and I are a couple now."

Lily's smile widened. Hugh smirked. Tetsu just stared at them both, his eyes the size of saucers.

Misono's frown deepened. "Shirota... Suzuhara isn't here today."

He shot a quick glare at Lily and Hugh, who were trying so hard not to laugh that they had tears in their eyes.

Mahiru kept smiling. "We're not pretending! Kuro and I are a _real_ couple now!"

There was a moment's silence as the message sank in.

Misono's expression went from confusion to shock to anger within seconds. "Shirota, you bastard!" he blurted out. " _I_ was planning to tell _you_ some great news today, but you went ahead with _your_ news and completely ruined the effect!"

Mahiru and Kuro blinked in confusion. "What?"

Misono stood up, motioning for Tetsu to do the same. "Tetsu and I," he said with a grand gesture, "are a couple too."

Mahiru's eyes widened as a big smile spread over his face. "Congratulations!" he exclaimed. "I'm happy for you two. You make a great couple!"

Misono blushed a little, but his smile was self-assured. "Of course we do."

"Um," Tetsu seemed far more embarrassed, but whether it was because of the compliment or because of his boyfriend's behavior was hard to say. "Congrats to you too."

"Thanks!" Mahiru gave his Servamp a nudge. "Kuro, you should congratulate them too!"

"What a pain... Do I have to?"

"Yes, you have to! There's this very important thing called manners, we've had this discussion before!"

"Why are we even making such a big deal out of this? It's not like they're engaged or anything."

Lily and Hugh snorted. Misono and Tetsu blushed a pretty shade of red, stared into opposite corners of the room and said nothing.

Mahiru sighed and gave the vampire a long look. "Kuro... _please._ "

"Fine." Resignation was written all over Kuro's voice. "Congratulations... I guess."

Mahiru turned around that the vampire looked surprisingly uncomfortable, embarrassed even. His cheeks were just a shade pinker than usual, his hands were stuffed into his pockets as if it was freezing cold, and his eyes were focused on his shoes. Mahiru couldn't help smiling at the sight. "You're still not really used to just being nice to people, are you?"

"Says the guy who tried to beat me up with a mop."

"Hey, that was _ages_ ago! Why are you still talking about that now?"

Hugh watched them with interest. "How long have you two been together?"

Mahiru looked up in surprise. "Just a couple days... why?"

"You're already behaving like an old married couple."

"W-We're _not!_ "

"You really are, Shirota."

"Misono! You're not helping!"

"Well, Mahiru kinda does act like a housewife sometimes so I guess it's not that wrong..."

"Dammit, Kuro! Why are you taking their side too?"

A waitress shot them a dirty look. "Would you please be more quiet?"

Everyone blushed with embarrassment, shut their mouths and sat down.

* * *

"They're a good match," Mahiru said as they were walking home through the silent streets, the stars glistening above them.

Kuro looked at him. "Who?"

"Misono and Tetsu." Mahiru watched his breath form small clouds in the cold night air as he continued. "They complete each other. Did you watch them today? They both smiled way more than usual. I mean, usually Misono's always like..." he sought for the right words to describe it, didn't find any and simply imitated Misono's ever-present frown, "like _that_ , you know? And he always gets mad about everything and insults people a lot and today it was almost like... like he was trying to act cooler and more mature to impress Tetsu or something. Or maybe Tetsu's presence just relaxes him."

"Huh." Kuro gazed straight ahead, lost in thought. For some time neither of them said anything.

Finally Kuro spoke up again. "Are you... okay with me not really changing now that we're dating? Will you be fine with it if I never change?"

Mahiru looked at him and felt a tug at his heartstrings. Kuro looked so insecure, so vulnerable. The fragile soul he was always trying to hide had broken through its cage made of sarcasm and laziness and glimmered softly in his eyes.

"You idiot," Mahiru laughed softly. "If I didn't like the way you are right now, do you really think I would have fallen for you in the first place?"

Kuro didn't answer, but Mahiru didn't miss the warm glow lighting up his eyes. It was the happiest expression Mahiru had ever seen him show in all the months they had spent together. The vampire's face was still showing his usual slight frown, but his eyes were smiling.

Mahiru couldn't help smiling back.

"Although," he added, laughing, "I obviously wouldn't mind you getting up a bit earlier. Or helping me with the housework chores. But not in the kitchen! The kitchen's off limits. The last time you tried to do something in the kitchen was a total..."

He was interrupted by a soft chuckle next to him.

Mahiru looked up to find a sight he had never expected to see.

Kuro wasn't just smiling, he was _laughing_. His entire face had lit up, shining, sparkling, making the moon and stars and all the city lights of the world look dim. He looked so young standing there, laughing at Mahiru's silly joke. Innocent, almost childlike. He looked like a child laughing for the first time in his life, and his smile radiated nothing but joy and love.

It was beautiful. Overwhelmingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

Mahiru gaped at him, entranced, cast under a spell by Kuro's unforgettable laugh, the smile that lit up the entire universe, the clear ring of laughter welling up from his chest, and wished time would stop. The more he looked at Kuro the more he wanted to see that face, and he knew that he would never see enough of it, never grow tired of this beautiful sight that nobody else had ever seen. This was his, his alone, without anybody else to see it, anybody he would have to share it with. Mahiru knew that this expression was only meant for him.

He couldn't help feeling proud.

Kuro caught sight of Mahiru staring at him and stopped laughing. "What's up?"

Mahiru should probably be embarrassed to have been caught staring, but that didn't matter. Not now.

"I just found one more thing I love about you," he said gently. "Your laugh."

Kuro turned away to hide his blush and ruffled through the boy's hair. "Now you're being cheesy again."

For one long moment, neither of them said anything.

"Kuro?"

"Yeah?"

"I've told you that I love you so many times, but... you never say it back, do you?"

Kuro dropped his hand, then ran it through his hair, visibly flustered. He opened his mouth several times, closed it again, fidgeted with his sleeves. "Sorry."

He took a deep breath, turned and leaned his forehead against Mahiru's. Looking into the depths of the boy's eyes, he whispered the one sentence Mahiru would never forget, ever, in all his life or the lives after.

"I love you too... Mahiru."


End file.
